


Destiny's Embrace

by StarWritesAThing



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, In which Kairi actually has a personality, Post-Kingdom Hearts III
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-02
Updated: 2020-01-27
Packaged: 2020-04-06 20:58:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 52,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19070551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarWritesAThing/pseuds/StarWritesAThing
Summary: Set just after the events of Kingdom Hearts III, a grieving Kairi sets out on her own quest to find her inner strength and discover the mystery behind Sora's disappearance. Beware, here there be spoilers. Also Kairi makes friends with everyone because she deserves all the friendships.This is not linked to the Re:Mind DLC or KH3's original Secret Ending.





	1. Missing You

Fear.

That was the first thing she felt.

Fear and an agonising sense of loneliness.

_Where am I?_

_Where’s Sora? Riku? Axel?_

_Anybody?_

She couldn’t make out her surroundings, everything seemed so distant and blurry. For all she knew she was alone again in darkness. She could have been anywhere and everywhere at once.

But there was one thing she could make out, it was faint, but it appeared to be coming closer to her.

_That light…_

“Kairi!!”

That voice… That was Sora. It had to be.

“Sora?!” She called out to the voice.

The light in the distance shifted shape into a person, a person running towards her, keyblade in hand. Now she could make out his features; the spiky brown hair that stuck up in all directions, the red and black clothes he wore, those deep, blue, blue eyes.

“Kairi!” he shouted again, sounding exasperated. “I finally found you!" He slowed to a jog and was finally inches away from her. He looked like he had tears in his eyes.

“Sora, how did you find me? Where are we-?” She began to ask. Sora didn’t seem to want to answer her question though as he tightly placed her hands in his. She looked down at them, he’d placed something in them as he held her hands, it was her charm. Her makeshift Wayfinder they always seemed to be giving back to each other in times of need. Times when they wouldn’t see each other again for a long time…

She blinked and sharply raised her head back towards Sora, the fear returning in her eyes. He was crying.

And- Fading.

“I’m always with you too, Kairi.” he said smiling as the tears ran down his face.

No. No he couldn’t do this.

“Sora don’t!” she cried back at him. “I’ll-I’ll come back to you! I’ll find you!”

She couldn’t feel the touch of his hands against hers anymore.

Nearly completely gone now, but still just visible, he answered with a final smile “I know you will."

 

***

She felt herself start to stir awake, feeling wetness on her face. She’d been crying again in the night. Something felt hard and cool against her cheek and hand as she slowly propped herself up from the ground and wiped her face.

The Secret Place.

She must have dozed off again there after not being able to sleep in her own bed. She’d woken like this a few times in those past few weeks after their gruelling battle against the Seekers of Darkness. Staying in her own room didn’t feel right, the islands didn’t feel right. There was a vast feeling of emptiness in her life now without Sora here. Everything reminded her of him. The vacant boat on the pier, the missing space on the trunk of the paopu tree, the sunset…

 She’d been sleeping underneath the drawing of them they’d etched into the cave wall when they were much younger and then years later, they’d each added a paopu fruit to it. Sora had drawn his first, Kairi had no idea about it until she’d returned to the islands after they’d been restored, and she’d taken a stroll through the secret place. Crying tears of happiness, as she recalled, she then added her own fruit by drawing an even bigger one for Sora. Neither had no idea that only two years later they’d actually be sharing a real fruit together, the day before the battle in the Keyblade Graveyard. Thinking of that, she gently placed a hand against the drawing.

Was all this her fault? By sharing the fruit had she doomed him to this fate as their destinies were now intertwined? If she hadn’t had been so weak and careless, hadn’t gotten herself caught, then maybe none of this would have happened. Sora wouldn’t have had to come after her and vanish after saving her from a fate akin to death. That had been playing on her mind constantly in the past couple of weeks. It must have been three, maybe four weeks since the battle. She wasn’t sure. These days she wasn’t even sure what day it was. She didn’t even remember returning to the islands after Sora had found her in who knows where. She only remembered being panic stricken being surrounded by four seekers of darkness…

She shuddered at the memory and pushed it back deep down into the depths of her mind, where she wouldn’t have to think about it.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice calling her name.

“Kairi? You in here?”

Riku.

He must have come looking for her again after not seeing her on the main island. She wasn’t in the mood for a scolding from him again. He’d already found her there one morning last week and had given her a lecture about how this wasn’t a healthy a coping strategy and she needed a proper night’s rest in a proper bed. She sat up with her back against the wall just as Riku appeared.

“Seriously Kai, again?” He was leaning against the other side of the cave with his arms crossed.

“Yeah. Sorry.” she began and avoided his gaze. “I just couldn’t sleep in my own room, so I came here, I only meant to stay for an hour or so, but I guess I fell asleep...” she said, gently rubbing her temples. Sleeping on a cave floor hurt.

Riku’s stern expression turned sympathetic. He unfolded his arms and returned to a more relaxed position. “I know, I know. I’m Sorry for being a grouch with you. I just don’t like the idea of you sleeping in a cave and crying all night. It’s not going to get any better by you doing this.” he sighed. He was trying a gentler approach to telling her off this time since shouting wouldn’t help the situation at all and Riku really didn’t want to raise his voice at her anyway.

“Yeah, Yeah. I’m really trying Riku, I am.” She said as she got to her feet and started out of the cave with him.

“I know. You’re doing great with Aqua teaching you; I wish she’d have taught me a few things before I became a master” he gave a short laugh. “Anyway, they’ll all be here soon, its nearly Twelve. But first..” he turned to look at her. She was still in her pyjamas from the night before and she was really starting to get hungry.

“Change out of those, get some breakfast and fix your hair, it looks like a bird’s nest."

“Oh thanks!” she went to give him a jab in the chest with her elbow. To be fair, she’d been quite neglectful with her hair recently. It had started to grow again and was nearly the same length as it had been before she’d cut it. She thought she suited it more like that, so she’d decided to keep it slightly longer. The only problem was trying to tame it in the mornings.

Kairi had to shield her eyes from the sun as they waked out of the Secret Place and onto the beach. It was a beautiful sunny day, perfect for lazing around on the warm sand. But she didn’t have time for anything like that. There was training to be done, and breakfast to be had.

***

Feeling refreshed after a hearty breakfast, Kairi got changed into her everyday clothes and joined Riku on the Play Island where they waited for the trio to arrive. A gentle breeze blew by, giving the air a cooler feeling with the sun beating down on them.

“Ah, here they come.” Riku said. A corridor had appeared on the beach, a bright light that acted as a doorway between worlds. Terra appeared from it first, followed by Aqua and then Ventus.

“KAIRIIIIII!!” A high-pitched voice shouted from the trio. Chirithy ungracefully hopped down from atop Ven’s shoulder and came clumsily running towards Kairi before jumping right into her arms.

“I’ve missed you! It’s been ages!” they exclaimed excitedly. Kairi rubbed their head gently and the little cat started to make a purring noise.

“Chirithy, it’s only been three days.” she giggled. Ven’s dream eater friend never failed to make her smile.

“Oh. Really? It seems like it’s been longer than that.” Chirithy tilted their head in confusion but suddenly forgot about what they were talking about and hurtled towards Riku to say hello.

“RIKUUUU! It’s been ages!” they began again, now jumping up into his arms.

Ven awkwardly approached the two with his hand behind his head and said “Heh. Sorry about that. They’re still getting used to having friends again, so they get a little excited from time to time.” he gave a little embarrassed smile.

Chirithy ran back up and onto his shoulder.

“Don’t worry about it” replied Riku. “It’s quite cute really." Kairi gave a little laugh. Riku would never have admitted to saying something was cute years ago. How times had changed.

Terra and Aqua joined the group also laughing along with Chirithy’s enthusiasm.

“Hey guys, so how about we get this show on the road? I’m guessing you wanna spar with me again Riku?” asked Terra.

“No messing around there. We can practice some magic and defensive stances today. And you can show me how you’re coming along with summoning a corridor.” Aqua said turning to Kairi and Ven.

Kairi had nearly mastered that one. Since she didn’t have any armour, there wasn’t any point in trying to go into the lanes between, so Aqua had taught her a more advanced technique of summoning a corridor of light to bypass the lanes between and head straight into a different world.

Kairi nodded. “OK, let’s go!”

.

“So it’s uhh.. Like this right?” Kairi stood with a slight bend in her knees holding her keyblade across her body as if to deflect a blow.

“Sort of, here, it’s best if you position your feet like this.” Aqua demonstrated by showing a stance with her feet more apart. “It’ll help keep you upright if you get struck, otherwise you’ll fall over." Kairi copied Aqua and received a thumbs up from her mentor.

“Much better. So, you up for showing me your summoning?” she continued.

Kairi nodded and readied herself. She needed to focus and clearly picture her destination in her mind. She was only going to summon a corridor to connect to the main island which she’d already done before but without the watchful eye of Aqua. She calmly held up her blade and a stream of light immediately shot out and formed an iridescent portal in front of her. She looked back at Aqua who nodded her encouragement and she stepped through the corridor. She kept walking until she found herself on the shore of the main island and threw her fist in the air in triumph.

“Fantastic!” Aqua applauded as Kairi came back through the corridor, the light vanishing behind her. “It’s the same principle for going from world to world. Except it’s a little more difficult when you’ve never been before. You could end up anywhere.” She recalled when Aqua had told her about a time she first set foot in a new world using this method and ended up stepping into a river, getting soaking wet.

“Ven, how are you getting on with your fire magic?” Asked Aqua.

“Um.. Good I guess? I’m better at wind and thunder magic though.” he’d shot several burning flames from the tip of his keyblade which quickly dissipated in the air. He was doing much better than her though, she thought as she glanced over to a half-burnt tree. She’d gotten a little too enthusiastic in her last training session and cast a Firaga instead of Fira, setting the poor palm alight and Aqua rushing over to douse it in water magic. They’d laughed about it later but in the heat of the moment, literally, Kairi had been mortified. She was much better at water and curing magic, she’d somehow managed to master Curaga extremely fast while still training under Merlin. “You’ve got great potential.”, Terra had told her when they’d first met, “But you need to be more in control and harness your energy. Fire and thunder magic in particular are tricky because even if you’re not great at magic, it’s easy to lose control and get caught up in its power." Terra wasn’t particularly skilled at magic, but he’d passed on the advice he’d received from their late Master Eraqus to her about being careful with certain spells.

Chirithy had gotten bored after a while and went for a snooze on the sand. They’d been training for a few hours now with short breaks in between and evening was starting to set in, the air cooling around them. Riku and Terra lay as if they’d collapsed on the other end of the beach, just past the bridge. They were quite harsh on each other when sparring since they were so similar in strength and ability. She saw Terra sit up and attempt to give Riku a high-five, both boys failing at it they were so tired.

Kairi bit her lip. Seeing them like that reminded her of when she used to watch Sora and Riku fight with their wooden swords on the beach.

_Stop it._ She thought. She’d been feeling ok up until now. She wasn’t sure if it was because she was getting tired or the fact that her mind usually wandered to thoughts of Sora when she wasn’t preoccupied with something. Probably both.

Ven scooped Chirithy up who protested with a grumble at being so rudely awoken and strolled over to Kairi.

“You coming?” he cheerfully asked her. Aqua had sat down with Terra and Riku and Ven was on his way to join them when he noticed Kairi standing off on her own by the water. Like how the sea washed over the shoreline in small waves, a wave of sadness had suddenly washed over Kairi. She looked over at the boy, not wanting to come across as rude by declining his offer, but she felt as if she’d destroy their happy mood if she joined them all now. She just needed some space.

“I- I’ll come over in a minute. I just want some time alone if that’s ok.” she gave a sad smile to Ven as not to hurt his feelings. Ven seemed to understand completely though.

“That’s fine.” he replied, trying to look upbeat for her. “Just come and join us when you feel like it.” he added before turning heel and starting towards his friends.

She watched him go, wondering if and when these feelings would ever leave her.

***

Kairi sat near the water’s edge, absentmindedly gazing at the horizon, where they sky and sea met. The sun had started to make its descent, painting the sky in shades of orange and pink. She hugged her knees to her chest. Sitting there listening to the sound of the waves and watching the sunset reminded her of all the times the three of them had sat on the paopu tree, just talking and laughing at the stupidest things and wondering about the worlds outside their tiny island. Those days seemed so far away now.

“Hey." A male voice took her back to the present and she jumped a little at the sudden sound.

Terra stood a few feet away from her, also taking in the sights of the vast sea.

“Hey. Sorry Terra, I was worlds away there." Giving a little nervous laugh that he’d noticed her zoning out.

“Mind if I join you?” He asked her. Kairi shook her head and edged up the sand slightly, inviting him to sit next to her. He sat down beside her on the shore, not saying a word, just gazing out to the sea in deep thought.

She’d come to really like Terra in the past few weeks they’d trained together. He was like a big brother figure to her and seemed protective over her too. Sort of like how Axel was with her after she’d gotten to know him too. She’d expected to be scared of him when they’d first met, after all, their first encounter had been at the Keyblade Graveyard when Xehanort still had control over his body and heart. He could have killed her easily with one strike if he’d wanted to and Kairi, after just witnessing him strike Ventus down, had frozen in terror. That had been when Sora had come rushing over, putting his body between her and Terra-Xehanort while hugging her in a tight embrace. She drew a breath. Thinking of that made her chest feel tight. She glanced over at Terra thinking, this wasn’t the same man she’d met in the graveyard. He may be intimidating by his sheer size and strength, but Kairi could see there was kindness in those eyes. She could sense that despite all he’d been through with his darkness, he had a heart of gold and was exceptionally loyal to his friends. She admired that about him.

“So uhh...” he began. “How are you holding up?”

She wasn’t really sure how to answer that. She knew what he was referring to about ‘holding up’ but she knew she could trust Terra, so she just said exactly what was on her mind.

“Honestly.. not great.” she answered. Everyone knew she’d been struggling the most after Sora’s disappearance. No one had had the chance to begin to try and locate Sora’s whereabouts since the battle. They all needed to rest and recover. Or retrain in Ven’s case since he’d been asleep for nearly a dozen years and was a little rusty with his keyblade.

“I know it’s really hard for you at the moment. But if you ask me..” Terra started. “I think you’re doing very well all things considered.”

Kairi gave a confused look to him. Doing well? Were waking up crying in a cave and not being able to think straight signs she was doing well? Maybe Riku had hit him too hard earlier…

Terra continued. “You’re trying your best with your training. Not keeping yourself cooped up in your room avoiding everyone. I can tell you have great strength of heart deep down, Kairi. That’s what’s getting you through all this. Trust me, I kind of have a knack for knowing these things." He smiled at her. Kairi tried to smile back but it was a pretty meek attempt.

“You really think so? Because I’m not so sure about that…” trailing off, she rested her head on her knees and returned to gazing at the horizon. Was her heart strong? She wasn’t so sure lately.

“Listen Kairi." He put a hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Darkness always finds its way into a wounded heart. You have to be strong. Strength of heart will carry you through even the hardest of trials." Still with his hand on her shoulder, he gave her a reassuring look as if silently telling her everything would be alright. She felt tears starting to well up in her eyes. _Oh don’t start_ She thought. _You’ve cried enough in front of everyone lately haven’t you?_

“Thank you, Terra.” she said as she started to wipe her eyes. His little speech had actually cheered her up somewhat and even if it was only a little, she was still grateful he’d come over to check on her.

Terra slowly got to his feet and offered a hand to Kairi to help her up too. He motioned over to Aqua and the others as he began “I’m just going to talk with Aqua for a bit about something. I won’t be long."

“Sure.” she answered as she watched him go. Aqua, Riku, Ven and Chirithy were all sat down together near the beach hut laughing away. Aqua got up as Terra approached and said something to her. She gave him a nod and the two of them walked off to talk in private, leaving the boys together. Ven caught Kairi’s eye and waved at her to come and join them while Chirithy excitedly waved their little paws about too, inviting her over.

_Strength of heart huh?_ She thought as she mulled over her talk with Terra and started towards them.

_I guess I can work on that._

_***_

The two of them had walked a fair distance from the others so they were out of earshot when Aqua asked “This is about Kairi right?” They stopped at the other end of the beach and glanced behind them. Kairi had joined the boys and Chirithy and didn’t seem concerned that the pair had suddenly taken off down the beach.

“Yeah.” He answered, looking back to face her. “I was talking with her before and I think-” he paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. He really hoped Aqua would agree with his idea. “I think Kairi would really benefit if she came and trained with us for a while, in the Land of Departure."

It was true. Although she was trying to keep herself busy with her training and doing very well with it, there was no doubt she was feeling depressed staying on her island. Everything was reminding her of Sora and not in a positive way. Terra couldn’t bear the thought of walking around the Land of Departure if Aqua or Ven suddenly vanished. It would physically hurt him knowing there was someone missing that he couldn’t trace.

“You know, I was thinking the same thing.” Aqua agreed.

“Really?”

“Yeah. A change of scenery will probably do her good. If she wants to come with us that is. Riku was telling me earlier that he found her in the Secret Place again this morning." She clasped her hands together. She always did that when she was feeling anxious about something, Terra thought to himself. “She’s been doing so well lately but is there really any point in training her here where she feels so miserable all the time? It’s almost cruel." That was what Terra had been thinking too, Aqua had just phrased it better. They began walking back along the beach to the others, anticipating what Kairi may say at their proposal.

“We can only ask. If she wants to come with us, great. If not...” Terra wasn’t sure what they’d do then. It was her choice after all, but they were both a little worried that she might not want to leave her home, which may only make her grief even worse.

Aqua took Terra’s hand in hers as they continued along the shoreline. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.” she reassured him, giving him one of her warm smiles.

Terra nodded. Hand in hand, they made their way to their group of friends.

***

“-And then I told them ‘oh, so you mean never come back?!’” Ven was telling Riku and Kairi about his trip to Olympus Coliseum where he’d met Hercules, Zack and Phil, years before.

“Ouch, Ven! A little harsh don’t you think?” Riku burst out laughing shortly followed by Kairi who had been thoroughly enjoying Ven’s tales.

“Ah it was just a bit of fun, we all shared a laugh.” Ven chuckled with Chirithy who was perched on his shoulder again. Riku turned his head at the sound of Terra and Aqua’s voices.

“Watch out guys, here come the lovebirds.” Riku said with a sly grin. One of his favourite pastimes at the moment was getting a reaction out of Terra whenever he was alone with Aqua.

“Hey watch it!” Terra retorted while Aqua giggled to herself. Ven leaned back against the hut and put his hands behind his head.

“So, what was all that about?” he asked the pair.

Kairi wasn’t sure what they’d been discussing but as soon as Ven asked the question, they both turned their eyes to her.

“Well...” it was Aqua who answered. “Kairi, we’ve been having a talk and we just wanted to ask you whether you’d like to come and train with the three of us for some time?”

That took her by surprise.

It must have shown on her face as Terra suddenly added “You don’t have to if you want to stay here! It’s completely up to you. We just thought you might like to come to our world for a change." Kairi barely heard a word he said he spoke that fast. But she didn’t have to, she’d heard Aqua’s question loud and clear.

“You mean, like, to stay with you? I wouldn’t be in your way or anything would I?” She wanted to make sure she had this right. She could see that Ven had sat up from his previous slouchy position and was beaming at the thought of having someone else to stay in the castle.

“Of course!” Aqua answered. “You can stay as long as you like. We’ve got plenty of spare rooms so don’t feel like you’d be intruding!”

Kairi slowly stood up to be on level with them both. They were really inviting her to stay? She could feel a smile starting to break on her face. She’d always wanted to see The Land of Departure, the way the trio always spoke of it, it sounded so beautiful and grand. But what about-

“Don’t worry about me.” Riku answered as she turned to him. He must have read her thoughts. She really wanted to go but she’d feel extremely guilty if she left Riku behind. “I’ll head off To Disney Town. I need to talk with Mickey and everyone about where to start with looking for Sora.” he added. Good. She felt better now that she wouldn’t be leaving Riku all alone on the islands. And now he and King Mickey could try and form a plan to locate Sora. She felt completely different from now and when she’d first woken up; groggy, upset and just wanting to curl into a ball somewhere and hide from the world. Now she felt like she had a real goal ahead of her, a real purpose. Training alongside Terra, Aqua and Ven would surely help her become stronger and that in turn would help her in finding Sora.

“So are you gonna come with us?!” Ven certainly seemed to want her to stay with them.

“Yeah! Come and live with us and we can stay up really late telling stories!” Chirithy hopped up and down excitedly shouting amongst them.

Kairi regarded them all, still smiling at their offer and finally said “I’d love to! Thank you so much guys. But uh... When would I start?” she asked. Did they mean right away? Next week? Ideally, she’d want to get out of the islands as soon as she could. It was all getting a bit much for her staying there, being reminded of Sora everywhere she went. She needed more of a distraction. More time to hone her skills before she set out to look for him too.

It was Terra who answered her.

“Anytime you want! I mean, if you want to, you can head back with us tonight if you’d like." All three of them seemed eager for her to join them as soon as possible. It was sort of comforting, knowing that they all wanted her to train with them despite her having quite a lot of emotional baggage to deal with.

Again, Riku seemed to know how she’d answer. “Want me to help you pack?” he asked her with a smile.

_Always understanding, he’s never changed._ She thought to herself.

“That would be great, Riku. Thank you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -I said I'd do it AND I DID HAHA! I have no idea how many chapters this will be. Possibly round 9 ish give or take.  
> -Yeah I'm still salty over Kairi's treatment in KH3 so I'm 'fixing' her character and the ending. My canon now, Nomura.  
> -I wanted to give her a more rounded 3D character instead of literally just being a smiley face emoji and a plot device because she deserves so much better  
> -This is 99% from Kairi's POV but as you saw in this chapter, I'll occasionally switch around for a short time just to give another perspective or event if Kai isn't around  
> -I'm assuming Kairi was sent to the Final World after she was murdered although she doesn't remember exactly what happened. Somehow Sora followed her there and kind of switched places with her so that she would live and he would die.  
> -We're gonna pretend the secret ending doesn't happen here. Because fuck knows what that's about.  
> -Yes, Kairi's hair is slightly longer than her KH3 style here. She grew neglectful of it and let it grow out a bit. Also because I like her with longer hair nyeehhhh  
> -If there are corridors of darkness then there are corridors of light. Kind of like what Ven summoned to get him and Aqua to the LoD? Basically it's a shortcut to get to other worlds because Kairi can't travel through the lanes between. Idk if these exist, they do now :)  
> -Terra is a big bro to EVERYONE. He's just- got so much love to give  
> -He loves Aqua the most though ;) he just gets flustered when people bring it up. Aqua doesn't care though, she loves her boyf very much  
> -Riku was probably going to travel to DisneyTown anyway, he was just waiting for that eventual invite from the Wayfinder Trio because he also thinks she'd do a lot better training there.  
> -I'm very, very tired. pls enjoy 8D


	2. The Castle in the Realm Between

Night had fallen by the time they had reached The Land of Departure, Kairi’s new temporary training grounds and home. It was so different from the Islands. In the gloomy distance, she could make out vast mountain tops and rolling hills, nothing like her beach home she had grown up in. She set down her two backpacks and stretched her back out whilst looking around and trying to make out the landscape around her. The others started making their way towards the castle entrance and Kairi followed. She stopped in her tracks when she looked up into the night sky and saw hundreds, if not thousands of stars all shining down on them.

“Oh wow…” she gasped as she marvelled at the sight. The sky of Destiny Islands was full of stars too, but it was nothing compared to this. So many bright, shining stars blanketing the night sky and almost giving the land a glow of its own.

Ven carried an exhausted Chirithy inside while Aqua and Terra joined Kairi to look up at the impressive display of stars.

“Every single one of those stars up there is a world.” Aqua said. “The light we see is their hearts. I’d forgotten how many there were up there, we’ve barely even scratched the surface of exploring them all."

“It’s beautiful...” Kairi almost whispered. Every one of those stars was a world of its own. And among all those stars, all those worlds, was Sora. She knew it. He had to be out there somewhere, and she’d look in every single one of them for him, even if it took her years. She didn’t care.

Terra picked up the remainder of Kairi’s bags. “We should get you sorted with a room, it’s getting pretty late."

The three of them started up the steps and walked through the entrance doors. They ventured through a long hallway and up another set of stairs to reach the great hall where she could just make out three thrones that were placed side by side along the far end.

“This way.” Terra gestured to his right to lead them through another corridor. She was so going to get lost in here. So many corridors and turns that all lead to different places. Kairi tried to memorise the route they’d taken so far but it was difficult to do with so little light. As they carried on for a short while they reached the kitchen and dining area where Ven had laid out bowls for everyone.

“You guys want something quick for dinner? I’m starving!” He said as he started boiling the kettle.

“Yeah I’ll have some noodles or something then I’m off to bed.” Terra answered with a yawn. “Where do you want your stuff, Kairi?”

Kairi wasn’t too hungry, she just wanted to go to bed after the restless sleep she’d had the night before.

“Can I have a room next to you guys? I think I’m going to get lost in here for the first couple of days.” she said bashfully.

“Sure! It’s what we were going to suggest anyway. We’re all in the same hallway so you’ll know where to find us.” Aqua answered. “Here, I’ll show you." They started out of the room, leaving Ven and Terra to stuff their faces in the kitchen.

“G’night guys!” the two shouted with mouthfuls of food.

“Night!” the girls answered.

The pair carried Kairi’s belongings as they headed up a set of stairs where she found herself in a wide corridor with adjacent doors flanking the walls. Aqua gestured to her left as they carried on and said “This one is Terra’s. Well, mine and Terra’s. I don’t really sleep in my room much now and he’s got the bigger room, so we mostly share it now. And just along on the right is Ven’s. These other four are all vacant so you can take your pick of whichever one you want."

Kairi just chose the one nearest the end of the corridor on the right, two doors down from Ven and she carried her belongings in.

“I think I’ll just unpack and go to sleep if that’s ok."

“No problem, if you need us at all, you know where we are. Just knock on our doors and one of us will answer. Probably not Ven though, he’s such a heavy sleeper.” she said with a laugh.

She’d packed light, bringing only the essentials and a few things to decorate her new room with. The room was basic but had a nice and homely feeling to it. The walls were pained a dark shade of blue with white and yellow stars scattered about. There was a wardrobe to her left with a desk and chair against the right and her bed in front of the window that gave a view of the land below. She’d unpack properly when she had the time and energy, so for the time being, she changed her clothes and set her Gummiphone on a stand next to the bed. Climbing in beneath the duvet, sleep took her faster than it had in many, many weeks.

***

Sunlight streamed in through the window as Kairi woke up, rolling over to check her gummi phone. What it said didn’t made her stomach drop. 10.25am.

“Oh no!” She must have been extremely late for training. She couldn’t remember whether she’d been told a time to get started the night before, she’d been so tired. Not even bothering to get dressed, Kairi sprinted out of the room and down the corridor towards the dining area. Nearly slipping on the hard floor in her socks as she got to the kitchen, panting; “I’m so sorry! I didn’t realise it was this late!”

Only Aqua was at the table, sipping a mug of what looked like coffee.

“Hey, don’t worry about it. We didn’t specify what time we get up so that’s my fault. I was just about to come and get you.” Aqua smiled.

Kairi breathed a sigh of relief. She thought they’d be furious with her for her tardiness. Where were the boys?

“Are Terra and Ven training already?”

“No, they said they were going to take a quick power nap while you were still asleep. Not that Ven really needs to nap. I mean, you’d think a dozen years sleep was enough right?” she laughed. “Come and have some breakfast, I’ll go and wake the boys up and then we can give you a proper tour of the place."

Aqua had left her a stack of pancakes to warm up on the table. After giving them some time in the microwave, she sat down to enjoy her food. Her Gummiphone buzzed. She reached into a pocket in her pyjama pants and saw it was a message from Riku.

_Morning- Good luck with your training, Kai. I’m only a phone call away if you need me, I’ll keep you updated on what we’re doing on our end. Now go kick ass!_

She giggled to herself as she read the message, she’d answer him later after she’d been shown around. At least now she could concentrate at least a little better without the loneliness of the Islands constantly weighing her down like a thick fog.

Aqua had knocked on each of the boy’s doors to wake them up from their short nap as Kairi waited in the dining area for them. Eventually a groggy looking Ven and Terra emerged with a peppy Aqua, ready to show her their home.

“Morning guys, sorry about waking you from your nap."

“S’alright Kairi.” Ven said as he rubbed his eyes. “I really need to stop sleeping during the day...” he yawned again. Terra raised a hand to say hello but as he began to speak, a huge yawn emerged from him too. Aqua laughed.

“Honestly you two, you take ages to wake up!”

When Kairi asked where Chririthy was, Ven explained that since they were a dream eater, they preferred to be nocturnal most of the time so Ven had left his little friend in his bedroom to sleep.

“Well we might as well start here.” said Aqua as she led them down a different hallway. “You know where the bedrooms, kitchen and bathrooms are but there’s also a couple of storage rooms up here that have everything from wooden practice keyblades, swords, to extra cutlery and bedding.” Aqua opened up a small room that was crammed with various things that could be of use to them some day.

Ven peered inside too to take a closer look and said “Oh! That’s where my first practice sword went!”. Clearly they’d both started to wake up now as Terra explained “We only really use this side of the castle now. The west wing is pretty much deserted although we still like to keep the Master’s room clean and dust free just to keep it how he liked it. His room is the only one on that side."

That was nice that they still did that for their old mentor. She wondered whether she should ask about him or not. She didn’t want to make any of them upset as it must have been very difficult for them all to have lost him.

As they moved along Ven voiced a question that Kairi had wanted to ask too.

“How many people used to live here? Theres so many vacant rooms."

“We’re not really sure. It was only the three of us for years until you came along. Not even the Master seemed to know, he was just put in charge of safekeeping this land as it’s defender. I don’t even think this was the place he trained.” Aqua answered.

It seemed as if that role had passed to Aqua now, to be this land’s guardian and keeper, since she was the only master among them and had also managed to previously lock the land away with Eraqus’ old keyblade. It must have been a huge responsibility, but a big honour regardless.

They found themselves near the entrance, in the great hall. In the daylight, it looked even more impressive with the light cascading through the stained glass above and the general magnificent design of the place. Down below, she could see the entrance hall from the balcony adjacent to the stained glass. She hadn’t noticed that the night before, it had been too dark.

It was Ven’s turn to show her this area.

“So, if we do any training or have meetings it’s usually in here. There’s plenty of space to practice spells and different attacks without knocking into anyone else or slamming into a pillar.” he laughed. There were three throne-like chairs at one end of the hall up a small set of steps she’d remembered seeing the night before. _Why three?_ She wondered. Asking this aloud, Ven answered her.

“Umm.. again, we don’t know sorry. Maybe three people used to be in charge here years and years ago? But hey, that middle one was my bed for twelve years.” he added in casually.

Terra and Aqua stifled a laugh. Trust Ven to be so casual and carefree about being in a coma for a dozen years.

“Don’t be worried about getting lost, Kairi.” Aqua reassured her as they made their way outside. “All the corridors eventually lead to the great hall and from there, you can find anything pretty easily." That was a relief at least. She’s been worried about missing a turn and ending up in the bathroom instead of her bedroom.

Outside, the view was breath-taking. If she thought it had been beautiful at night, it was even more so in the daylight. The castle stood proud amongst this sacred land full of hills and clouds. It was as if huge, great chains were helping to keep the castle afloat, anchoring it to the earth below. She recalled Terra telling her a while back that they also trained out here too for extra space plus it gave them a break from the stuffy indoors on particularly hot days. There were various objects hanging from a pillar that served as target practice as well as benches to sit and a little stream that ran through the land.

Something shiny caught Kairi’s eyes as she glanced towards something that looked like a large keyblade in the ground with a wreath of flowers around it. Whatever was glimmering in the sunlight was wrapped around the wreath and keyblade.

“What’s that over there?” she asked, already making her way towards it to get a closer look. It _was_ a keyblade. The one Aqua used to use before she’d gotten her old one back. Their Master’s keyblade.

“It’s a memorial for Master Eraqus.” Terra explained as the trio joined Kairi at her side. “We wanted to make something to honour him by, it was the least we could do for what he’s done for us after all these years."

“Oh, I’m sorry- I didn’t mean to be nosy—”

“No, don’t be! You wouldn’t have known." Aqua assured her, kneeling by the grave and gently touching a blue wayfinder. “Those are our wayfinders we used to carry. It was Ven’s idea to put them here, we thought it would make a nice finishing touch.”

“Yeah. The keyblade looked a little lonely by itself.” Ven remarked.

Kairi placed her hand upon the blade’s handle. She had never met Eraqus. Everyone else had when Sora’s battle with Xehanort had ended and their Master had shown up, after slumbering in Terra’s heart for all those long years. It must have been both an emotional reunion and farewell for them all.

“What was he like, Eraqus?” she carefully asked them. She didn’t want to accidently cause anyone to get upset by her question.

Aqua got up from kneeling down on the grass and answered her. “He was wonderful. He treated us all like his own children. Though he was strict at times, he was fair and kind.”

“He used to come and sit with us at night to stargaze and tell us stories when we were younger.” Terra added. “Although he’d scold us if it was a chilly night and we didn’t bring blankets.”

Ven, who had only been under Master Eraqus for a few years as she’d been told, was silent for a moment before he too recalled what their Master had been like. “He- he just wanted to protect us. To keep us safe from danger, even if it meant we- no, if _I’d_ get mad at him for it. He was the best. I just wish he was still here...” he said as he looked away from the grave, his eyes turning a little red and puffy.

“Hey..” Kairi stood beside him and put an arm around Ven’s shoulder. “I bet he’s proud of every one of you. He’ll be looking down from up there and telling everyone what amazing, loving pupils he had. The best in fact.” She added with a soft smile. He sniffed and gave her a cheery smile in return.

Even Terra seemed to be trying to conceal his feelings as he nonchalantly wiped his eye as if a speck of dust had gotten lodged in it instead.

“No. You’re right. Though we’ll always miss him, he’s not really gone. He’ll always be with us, in our hearts.” Aqua said, touching the middle of her chest. Kairi and the boys nodded. _He’s always with us._ She couldn’t help but think that she wasn’t only talking about their departed Master.

“We should head back in and have a break before training. You got any more of those pancakes Aqua?” asked Terra.

She started towards the castle with the others in tow. “Maybe. But you’re doing the washing up."

***

The four of them gathered in the training hall after a short break and luckily, Kairi managed to find it easy from her room this time round. She greeted the other three with an eager smile as she approached the trio sat on the steps near the three thrones. She wondered what Aqua would have them do today.

“You all ready to get started? Kairi, I need to see where you’re up to combat wise since I’ve only really been teaching you magic lately. But you’re going to need an opponent.” she paused and looked to Ven.

Kairi followed her gaze and turned to Ven “You up for a spar then?”

“Sure, I can take ya!” he answered with a grin. Terra and Aqua stood back up the small steps to give them all the space in the hall.

“Don’t hold back but uh.. Try not to knock each other out either.” Terra attempted to give some advice.

“If you need to stop for any reason just raise your blade-less hand up clearly so your opponent can see. Alright, whenever you’re ready guys!” Aqua proclaimed.

Kairi gripped her keyblade with both hands and faced Ven, who swung his back behind him in his left hand. She’d forgotten Ven preferred to wield backhand, and he was pretty good at it. Ven didn’t hold back, he leapt straight at Kairi to strike and she quickly parried it with her own blade. He was fast. Before she knew it, he was out of her eyesight. She quickly spun around and jumped back to avoid another blow from Ven. She cast a blizzard spell at him followed by aero to protect herself. Ven easily dodged the spell and steered clear of her shield of wind for the time being. Kairi saw an opportunity to attack. She feinted a movement to the left before swiftly changing direction and meeting her blade with Ven’s. Damnit. He really was quick. Their keyblades met again and again as they each tried to strike the other. Ven cast a Fira towards Kairi but was met with a wall of water as she defended against it. She turned on her heel again to see if Ven had tried to sneak up on her again while she’d put her shield of water up. She managed to strike Ven on his right shoulder as he saw an opening to attack her and struck her by her left hip. Kairi winced as she was struck and leapt back to distance herself from him then charged again as their keyblade struck yet again.

“Okay, that’ll do. You can take a breather now.” Aqua declared. _Oh good._ she thought as she wiped beads of sweat from her brow. She saw Ven extend a hand to her and she took it in hers and shook it.

“You were great Kairi!” said Ven.

“Thanks, so were you! You’re so fast!” Kairi panted. The two had been left breathless after their battle.

Terra and Aqua came to stand next to them as Terra said “You’re both of a similar ability and size so you’re perfect opponents while you’re still getting back to grips with everything. All I’d say is you stiffen up quite a bit Kairi, you need to loosen your shoulders a bit more and let your body move you. Otherwise you’ll find yourself getting sore which will impact your ability to move about. That make sense?”

“Uh huh.” Kairi said. She’d always been a little stiff and tense during a battle even when she’d been training with Axel. Luckily, she made up for it for being fast and agile, making dodging and blocking attacks a little easier for her.

“One thing you do great actually is that you always watch your back.” said Aqua. “It can be easy to forget to be aware of your surroundings which leaves you vulnerable from being attacked from a different angle. All in all, I’d say you did very well! At least I know where you’re up to now. I don’t want to be teaching you anything too difficult or too easy."

“Oh yeah, um thanks both of you."

Yeah, that had become second nature to her now to always check over her shoulder. She’d become extremely self-conscious and anxious after the events of the Keyblade Graveyard about being struck from behind. And with good reason, she had the scar on her back to prove it.

“I’ll fight you next Ven, if you’re up for it.” Terra said.

“Yeah just give me a few minutes to catch my breath.” he puffed. He’d been worn out too thankfully. If she could take Ven on who was much more experienced than her, she felt a lot better about her abilities. Ven and Terra moved off to one end of the hall leaving Kairi and Aqua to the other.

“Here, Kairi. I’d like to show you a finishing move, it looks a lot more complicated than it is but I’m sure you’ll be able to handle it. By using lots of different magic, you can activate this one called Spell Weaver. I think you’re ready for it now that you’re getting much better at your magic. Let me show you."

Aqua summoned small orbs of light that lazily floated about the hall to use as targets. After using several spells, she began have an almost ethereal glow about her as she shot various spells about at the orbs. Then finally, almost like some extreme ballet move, she spun rapidly around the orbs with her keyblade, finishing them all off. Just watching her do that made Kairi feel dizzy.

“Nothing to it really. Once you pick it up, you’ll be a pro at it."

“You sure about that? Looks complicated.” Kairi said. She’d probably spin into a wall and smack her head against it.

“I’m guessing you didn’t learn any of this whilst training with Merlin then?” Aqua asked.

“No, not really.” she answered, slightly embarrassed. They’d only learned the basics really when she thought about it. When she compared herself to these three, there was so much she didn’t know.

“Don’t worry, we’ll take it one step at a time. And I’ll make sure you don’t spin into anything and hurt yourself."

She gave a nervous laugh. Alright, she’d give it a go then.

***

Aqua was right, it _was_ a lot easier than it looked. It took several attempts but after the third day, she’d managed to perform the manoeuvre on her own without the assistance of Aqua. And without smacking her head against the wall. She was feeling pretty pleased with her progress.

She was now on her sixth day living in the Land of Departure. Aqua had given all of them the day off to do whatever they pleased, although she’d said that she was going to continue recon on a new world she’d stumbled upon a couple of weeks before.

For once, Kairi was the first one up, or so she’d thought until she got to the kitchen and saw a note left by Aqua.

_Gone to do Recon, I’ll be back later on- if you need me just call, Aqua._

She’d signed it with a blue heart which Kairi thought was a cute finishing touch. She poured herself some cereal and was greeted by Terra who still looked half asleep as he came into the kitchen looking like he needed more sleep.

“Morning. Aqua gone already?” he asked as he sat down to read her note. “I didn’t think she’d be going til later. I really don’t understand how she gets up so early, it seriously baffles me.”

“She’s definitely an early bird. And I thought Riku was an early riser.”

Terra took another look at the note before taking his eyes from it to address Kairi.

“Me and Ven are going out later to get more food in. You’re welcome to come with us if you want to but I get if you’re tired from training and want to take it easy." He got up and started looking through the cupboards and noting down what they needed for their weeks’ worth of meals. She was quite tired to tell the truth. The days of intense training were starting to catch up with her and she’d felt like she’d wanted to go back to bed immediately after waking up.

“I uh.. I think I’ll take it easy today if you don’t mind.”

“No problem, I thought you’d say that. We’re not gonna do much when we get back either to be honest. Why don’t you take a walk around the grounds? It’s a nice day for it.” he nodded towards the window. It was another beautiful, warm day with the sun peaking over the mountains in the distance.

“Well, we best be off- I think Ven’s waiting for me already. Told him to be up early for once. Have a nice chill day!” With that, Terra left her alone to go and find Ven. She finished her breakfast and took a stroll round the castle to pass some time. Each step she took just reminded her of how fatigued she was, so after a short while, she returned to her room and lay on her bed to scroll through her phone. It seemed Riku was having fun in Disney Town with everyone. She saw a picture of him with Mickey, Minnie and someone else she didn’t recognise who looked like a horse perhaps? And there was a picture of Roxas, gleefully holding a strange looking tissue dispenser that looked like a stone face. Alongside him was Hayner and Pence, both looking slightly concerned and Olette mid face-palm. She felt her eyelids grow heavier and heavier. Putting away her phone, she lay on her side and was soon drifting off into slumber.

***

The Graveyard.

They were seriously down on their luck. How could they possibly win this? She and Axel were exhausted after fighting with Saix and the mysterious hooded person, with Xemnas watching from a distance. It was a good job that Sora had come when he had, they were in dire need of the backup. And then, their luck had turned. The hooded figure, Xion and her best friend Roxas, had returned.

“Sora helped me find my way back here, to my friends.”

“Roxas!”

Roxas turned his head and nodded at Sora.

Finally.

Now they had a real chance of winning this battle. With Roxas, Xion Terra back, the odds were finally starting to tip in their favour. Kairi felt a surge of pride flow through her. Yes. Together with all their friends back together, they would succeed at stopping Xehanort. Though battered and bruised from fighting alongside Axel, she felt as if she could take down the rest of the organisation alongside Sora, alongside all the guardians of light.

“I don’t need hearts…” Xemnas started. “I will scatter them all to the winds!”

He was going to attack. The five of them readied themselves for a fight. But Xemnas was suddenly nowhere to be seen.

She felt a dark presence behind her.

Too late.

Xemnas had teleported behind her, grabbing her wrist and yanking her backwards. Pain shot through her right arm, her dominant side that held her keyblade.

“What difference does one little light make? You have others. Just as we have more darknesses to replenish our ranks." Darkness closed in around them and the last thing she saw was Sora sprinting towards her, frantically shouting her name.

*

They reappeared atop a huge cliff with a sheer drop. Taking a quick glance over, she thought of her minimal options. Too high to jump off, she’d fall to her death. Xemnas still had a grip on her arm, still holding it up in an awkward position that made her cry out in pain. She felt as though her arm would come out of its socket. Her keyblade dissipated in her hand and she desperately tried calling it back, but to no avail. She had no idea how to wield with her left hand either. Regardless, it wouldn’t appear for her.

“I brought the girl.” Xemnas announced.

Also gathered on this high precipice were the other remaining Seekers of Darkness. Ansem, Young Xehanort, and Xehanort himself, all looking out towards where the battles were being held. Only Ansem and Young Xehanort turned to Xemnas when he spoke.

Kairi tried twisting her free arm to strike Xemnas, but he swiftly caught it too with the same hand. There was no way she was summoning her keyblade now.

“So, did you enjoy playing guardian there, Princess?” Young Xehanort asked with a sly grin as he walked towards her. Ansem laughed but stayed put. And Xehanort, he was still gazing out off into the horizon.

“What’s it to you?” she spat back.

“Oh, just curious. Shame they sent out their weakest pair to fight Saix and Xemnas. A waste if you ask me, it would have been more of a challenge if they were facing one of the Masters.”

The weakest pair. Everyone knew herself and Axel being the newest recruits would be in more danger than the rest of them. Xehanort had known. And he’d exploited that fact. They didn’t stand a chance.

“Oh well. I don’t suppose you’re needed now that they have Roxas back.”

Almost snarling with frustration, Kairi had had enough. Without even thinking, she brought her knee up and swiftly kicked the youth in the groin.

“Aaarrghh!!” Staggering backwards and nearly falling to his knees, Xehanort cried out in pain and perhaps a tad of humiliation that a girl had just gotten the better of him for a moment. She could feel Xemnas break out into a smirk behind her.

Summoning his own keyblade, he made to strike her there and then when a wrinkled old hand appeared and stopped him in his tracks.

“Not yet.” Master Xehanort calmly said. “We need her alive for the time being." He faced Kairi. His eyes looked hollow and lifeless, the only light in them was the prospect of owning the X-Blade, only other people’s suffering brought light into his eyes.

“If I am to fight Sora, he will need motivation. He is very much like Ventus you see? Always wants to play the pacifist. How will we form the final key if he refuses to fight? She is our answer."

So, she was the bait to make Sora clash with Xehanort. How had she been so careless to get herself caught? _Keyblade bait._ She recalled that man, Saix call her once before when she had been trapped in the Castle That Never Was. She shuddered. She could feel herself start to shake with either fear or rage, or a combination of both.

_Don’t let them see that you’re scared._

She felt something stir in her heart. Some power that was just bursting to get out, and if she didn’t let this power loose, she might explode with it. She suddenly felt very hot. A bright burst of light emanated from her, shooting skywards and momentarily blinding her foes. She freed herself from Xemnas’ grip and skidded on the ground, keyblade now in hand. The Xehanort’s had covered their eyes to shield themselves from the mysterious power, not looking too displeased they had lost their ‘motivation’.

“How cute, she thinks she can fight us all.” Ansem smirked.

She stood in her battle stance, ready to attack, but felt as if her feet were stuck to the ground. Still shaking, with sweat dripping down her face, she braced herself. She wasn’t going down without a fight.

Master Xehanort brought his keyblade down to face her. “Don’t worry, I won’t imagine this should hurt at all."

She had no idea what was happening. She felt as if she’d suddenly lost all energy, feeling limp and falling to the ground. She lost consciousness.

The next thing she knew, she felt the odd sensation of floating, despite only being semi-conscious, she could vaguely hear voices around her. Could only quite make them out.

“You require motivation.” Master Xehanort.

“Kairi!”

Sora?

She could feel something, hear it even. The _thump thump_ of her own heart. Getting faster and louder.

**_Slash_ **

Something sharp and hard cruelling struck her in the back. She wanted to scream from the pain it caused but no words came.

“ _KAIRI!!!!”_

_SORA!_

“Kairi!!! Wake up, Please!!”

Her eyes snapped open.

She sat bolt upright, breath shaky. She could still hear it. Her heart. It was beating so fast, so loud. Panting and drenched in a cold sweat, she quickly scanned her surroundings. Her room. Aqua perched on her bed, looking panicked.

“Kairi, its ok, its ok, it was just a dream.”

Aqua took Kairi’s hand and gently rubbed her thumb across it, reassuring and calming her.

“Aqua, I-I..” what was she saying? Her breathing and heart rate started to steady as she looked to her new mentor with tears forming in her eyes.

“It’s ok… You’re here, you’re safe with us.”

Taking a few deep breaths to steady herself, she wiped the sweat from her brow and the tears from her eyes. She’d had that nightmare before, at least five times now, and still had the same reaction to it; waking up clammy and fearful with her heart thundering against her chest.

“You had me worried sick there, you looked so distressed.” Aqua’s hand left Kairi’s own and she gently moved a lock of sticky hair behind Kairi’s ear.

Before Kairi could apologise for worrying her friend she heard another voice call from down the corridor, Terra’s. He must have been looking for them and was nearing her bedroom when she heard him.

“Alright, I think we got everything although Ven’s insisting on cooking later so you might want to prepare yourself for some interesting flavours-.” He paused as he popped his head around the corner to peer in “Hey, what’s up?” he asked with concern as his upbeat expression fell and he rushed to the bedside.

“Nightmare.” Aqua answered. “A pretty bad one too by the looks of it.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you both. Though its more of a memory than a dream.” She said, sitting up to address them both. “It was just- things that happened in the Graveyard.” Kairi averted her gaze when she mentioned the Keyblade Graveyard. She didn’t really want to go into too much detail about it.

“There’s no need to apologise.” Terra sat next to Aqua on the bed and took her hand as he continued. “We’ve all had nightmares about what’s happened to us in the past. It’s a completely normal reaction to any kind of trauma.”

“Mm. It’s been tough on all of us these past few weeks. But we were always told by Master Eraqus that time is a great healer. Just give yourself some time and space and you will start to feel a little more at ease, trust me.” Aqua agreed.

Kairi wasn’t sure to what extent they knew of what had happened to her as only Sora, Riku and Mickey had been present, but she figured they had worked it out on their own. It was also oddly reassuring that they too were still haunted by their past. Someone as tough as Terra and Aqua still had fears, still had their own demons to deal with, even though they appeared absolutely fine on the outside.

“Thank you, guys. I’ll be okay, I just need time to heal right?”

“Yep. That’s exactly it. And if you need to get anything off your chest, whether its dream related or not, you can always talk to us. Anytime you want.” Terra got up and started to head out of the room before adding “Come on, you must be hungry by now. Though don’t ask me what Ven’s going to cook up. I think he makes it up half the time.”

***

True enough, Ven had prepared a unique dish that consisted of various vegetables and fish. She’d have been lying if she’d have said it wasn’t delicious though. They’d broke out some of the chocolate cake afterwards and even Terra seemed to enjoy it despite the fact he wasn’t the biggest fan of sweet food.

“Man, I’m stuffed.” Ven slouched back on his chair as he let his stomach settle. “Oh, hey! You were talking about nightmares and stuff before right? Kairi, why don’t you ask Chirithy if they’ll help with that? They’ve been great with the three of us!”

She’d let Ven know before they’d eaten what had gone on earlier, she didn’t want him to feel like he was out of the loop. He was very understanding though and had also offered to listen to anything she was worrying about.

“You called?” In a sudden puff of pink smoke, Chirithy appeared on the table, making Terra jump as though he’d been stung by a hornet.

“Seriously! You need to wear a bell or something, so we know you’re coming! Or at least clear your throat before you suddenly poof into a room like that!”

The other four laughed at Terra’s apparent exaggerated response to Chirithy’s arrival. He hadn’t gotten used to the dream eater suddenly appearing out of thin air and always jumped without fail every time.

“Aw Terra, you’re so dramatic. Anyway, who said something about nightmares?” The little cat asked.

Kairi raised her hand a little. “That would be me. I uh.. I keep having the same dream over and over. Well, it’s not a dream so to speak, it’s a memory so you might not be able to help me much with that.”

Chirithy hopped over to get closer to her.

“I’m a dream eater, this is my job! I eat nightmares for breakfast!” They proudly proclaimed. “It’s the same as these guys, I can’t really make it go away but I can definitely alleviate it for sure!”

Kairi ruffled their head, making them purr again. “Thank you, Chirithy.” She smiled.

“Oooh keep doing that. You’ve got just the right spot there.” They leaned into her touch and their eyes became soft and droopy.

Terra began to clear the plates away as he asked Aqua about her recon to the new world she had been visiting.

“Yeah, tell us Aqua!” Ven chimed in.

“Well, it’s pretty hot that’s for sure. The locals seem friendly enough to interact with. I think they’re having a problem with heartless though. But from what I saw, they’re only little weak ones that we can easily take care of, but the locals do seem frightened of them.” She said as she mulled over what she had learned that day.

Still stroking Chrithy, Kairi asked; “So is it safe for us to go and check the place out?”

Aqua’s eyes gleamed at the prospect of taking care of some unwanted heartless pests. “Actually, I think this would be a good learning opportunity for you Kairi. You can come with me again tomorrow and we’ll see what exactly is going on there. Being a keyblade master isn’t just about fighting and casting spells, you have to go out there and experience different worlds, new experiences, it helps you grow as a person. Is that alright boys? You can come with me another time; I’ll make sure of it. I just want Kairi to get a feel for it, while keeping world order of course.” she winked at her.

Terra and Ven nodded. They decided they would try and spar together by just using magic alone instead of their usual way of fighting.

“Right. Just don’t burn the castle down, please. I know you like to go overboard sometimes!” Turning to Kairi, she continued. “So, we’ll head off in the morning after breakfast and a quick debrief if that’s ok? And trust me, you’re going to need some suncream!”

Kairi could hardly wait, a new world to explore with Aqua! What would await her in this new land? To think, only around two years ago she’d been dreaming of seeing all the different worlds out there, and now it was really becoming a reality. This was a start of a new journey for her. A way to become stronger, to find her best friend and finally bring him home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Its finally done! Idk why but I really couldn't find the motivation to finish this one. I just couldn't write the scene where the gang shows Kairi around very well sdgfhdjsd  
> -Naughty Aqua, you forgot to tell Kai what time to get up! Or did I forget. We will never know.  
> -Riku and Kairi are those friends that are constantly texting each other. Even if its something like 'Look I'm eating a burger', 'Can I have some'  
> -Attempting to address the fact that the LOD is pretty empty. Why did only 4 people ever live there when its fookin massive? Nomura explain?  
> \- I like to think that the trio sometimes go down to see Eraqus' grave on their own and talk to him. Just to say how their day has been etc. They all do it, but only individually so they don't even know the others are doing it too bless.  
> -Kairi and Ven are both very fast and equally matched. Its like watching two sonic the hedgehogs.  
> -huhuhuhhh Kairi is constantly looking over her shoulder in combat bc of Xehanort :))) And yh she still has the scar. Its pretty big and nasty  
> -She's also very self conscious about it and doesn't really want people to know its there? Hence why she was all 'oh hahaha yeah I'm good at looking around my surroundings in battle its definitely not because I'm always scared that something will kill me from behind hahaha :)'  
> -The boys can't do spell weaver very well. Aqua tried to teach them but.. yeah they're not that suited to it. Kairi finds it easy to do after a while because she fights similar to Aqua in that she's nimble and has been practicing her magic a lot  
> -Hmmm. Wonder what world Aqua has gone to do recon on eh?  
> \- AH THE NIGHTMARE SEQUENCE. I both loved and hated writing this part. I wanted to give a sort of 'what happened behind the scenes' after Xemnas took Kairi  
> -I also wanted an excuse for her to just fucking kick YX in the bollocks bc he deserves it, the little shit  
> -Pokedex entry: When facing danger, the Kairi can release a burst of powerful light energy to temporarily blind and stun her foes, allowing her to escape  
> -I just wanted to give her some light powers to use akin to what Minnie does in DDD.  
> -Yeah I think it makes everything DOUBLY angsty if Kairi was semi conscious and could actually sort of hear and feel what was going on around her then. heh.  
> -Aqua and Terra have adopted Kairi as their daughter now, they are very loving parents I don't make the rules.  
> -Aqua still has nightmares about the ROD and Terra usually has the same one of that disturbing scene before he is re completed when he full on nearly murders Ven and Aqua ouch.  
> -Idk what Ven would have nightmares about. He just remembers all the wacky stuff that happened on Sora's adventures  
> -He's very experimental in the kitchen as you can see  
> -Terra reacts the exact same every time Chirithy poofs into a room. He just never got used to it and it makes him jump every time. Poor Terra afraid of a lil puddy cat  
> -I know Chirithy can technically alter memories? Like in KHUX with Player etc but lets say in this case they can't due to them being in the final world for so long and losing some powers idk  
> -Next chapter is Kairi and Aqua girl bonding time! With Disney Characters! Which ones? Not telling :)


	3. Oceans Away

After a somewhat peaceful and dreamless night, the morning arrived where Kairi and Aqua would head off to a new, mysterious world. As Aqua had instructed, she’d generously coated herself in sun cream and tied her hair back into a ponytail to keep cool. She had no idea what this world would be like, only that the weather could be very warm and with her complexion, she’d easily burn. Aqua was already waiting for her at the steps outside the castle after they’d both eaten and prepared themselves. She turned as she heard Kairi’s footsteps making their way down into the courtyard.

“So, all ready then?”

“I think so. There’s nothing _too_ dangerous out there right?” she asked nervously.

“Definitely not. There are heartless but we’ll easily take care of them. Besides, you’ve been doing great over the past few days with your training, don’t doubt your abilities, Kairi. I know you’re still fairly new to all of this but trust me when I say I really believe you’ll make a wonderful keyblade wielder one day.”

Kairi felt herself start to blush a little. She had improved that was certain, but she did still tend to doubt herself especially when faced with new things such as this world visit. As long as Aqua was by her side though, she felt ready.

“Remember about world order.” Aqua reminded her. “No one can know that there are other worlds out there. As far as they’re concerned, we’re just from really ‘far away’ not from a different world to theirs, OK?”

“Got it.” She answered with a nod.

“Well, let’s be off then!” Summoning her keyblade, Aqua created a corridor of light for them to travel through. Telling Kairi to keep close, the girls made their way through the portal into worlds unknown.

***

Keeping only inches away from her mentor, they found themselves walking onto a soft surface that felt like sand. She could feel the heat before she even got a chance to take in her surroundings. It was very warm although she could also feel a cool, familiar breeze against her face as they stepped out of the corridor. The air smelled salty, they must be near the sea. Taking her hand away from her face whilst she was shielding her eyes from the sun, she noticed that they were in fact on a beach. The water ahead of them was the most intense beautiful blue colour, almost identical to cloudless sky above, nothing above except the bright sun and the occasional sea bird cawing. Looking over her shoulder, the lush, green foliage stood where the beach ended, and an array of shrubbery and trees began. It was just like the Destiny Islands. Except this place seemed more tropical, the heat more intense and the landscapes different.

“You weren’t kidding about the heat were you?” Kairi laughed. The islands were warm, but this was much warmer. And a little humid. It was comforting that they’d stepped out onto the shoreline where they had the sea breeze to cool them down a little. Kairi wasn’t a massive fan of very warm weather. She hated the sticky feeling after being in the sun for too long, not to mention she was prone to burning too. She’d always had to take cover in the shade after a while, she recalled. When she was younger, and she had watched Sora and Riku swordfight on the beach.

This place reminded her of home, she felt with a pang in her heart. She didn’t let the feeling linger for long though, they had a job to do.

“It’s not as warm as it was yesterday. I guess its summer here? I can’t imagine it being this hot all year round” Aqua replied. “Let’s take a look around. I saw a couple of heartless near the village yesterday, I hope they’re gone.”

They made their way through the brush where the sand turned to grass, and huge coconut trees towered above them. As they walked, they noticed a distressed looking woman, biting her fingernails with a worried look on her face looking this way and that.

“Do we.. Uh. Do we help her? She looks upset.” Asked Kairi.

“Yes, can’t ignore someone who clearly needs some sort of help” she said and the duo carefully approached the woman.

“Excuse me, mam, are you OK?” Aqua asked the woman. She had long, jet black hair and dark skin. Hearing her voice, the woman turned to the girls, still looking quite frantic.

“Who are- Oh never mind that. My daughter is missing. She was right next to me and now she’s gone!” she cried.

“It’s OK, we’ll help you find her. What does she look like? How old is she?” Kairi asked the frantic mother.

“She’s only three years old, short hair and about this big” she put a hand up to her waist to indicate her size. “She’s wandered off before and we usually find her near the ocean, but we’ve looked everywhere for her! Please, if you see her, bring her back to me. Her name is Moana.”

“You can count on us” Kairi nodded firmly then turned to Aqua. “Should we split up? We’ll cover more ground that way.”

“That’s probably the best plan. If she’s usually near the ocean, then that’s where we’ll look. I’ll take one end and you search the other.”

“Oh, thank you, girls. I’m going to get more help from the village” the woman said as she headed off to search for help.

Kairi was worried. She’d only just arrived on this new world and she was already concerned for a child she hadn’t even met. Could she swim? What if she got stuck somewhere? No point guessing where she was, they had to find her, and fast.

“Shout if you see anything, and be careful, Kairi” Aqua instructed.

“Don’t worry, I will” she replied as she took off to the left side of the beach.

***

Looking for a missing toddler wasn’t exactly what Kairi had been expecting when they’d reached this new world, but sometimes you just have to roll with it. She scanned the beach for any traces that a child had been around and noticed some small, nearly faded footprints very close to the water’s edge. Picking up the pace, she followed them up the shore until she reached a load of rock pools. And there, sitting on a rock and splashing her feet in the shallows was a little girl. Surely this had to be her. But what was that aura emanating from her? So familiar and warm… Kairi carefully approached the girl as not to scare her and sat on a rock beside her. The girl turned her head to Kairi, not seeming very concerned about a stranger suddenly sitting next to her.

“Hi!” the toddler almost shouted.

“Hello, uh.. Your name wouldn’t happen to be Moana would it?” she asked her.

“Yep that’s my name. What’s yours?” she continued splashing her little feet about.

Kairi smiled. “My name is Kairi. What are you doing playing by the water all on your own? I think your mother is worried about you.”

“I’m not on my own! I’m playing with my friend, Sharky!”

“Sh-Sharky?” she asked with a slight quiver in her voice. Don’t tell me this kid is playing with a shark somewhere. She quickly stood up to see if she could spot anything that looked a threat to her. Was it an imaginary friend? Or was there a huge shark somewhere waiting to eat little Moana up?

“He’s right there!” Moana said as she pointed to a small shape lazily circling about, just outside the rockpool in the shallows. A breath of relief washed over her. It was just a small reef shark, a fairly placid fish that kept to the shallows and definitely didn’t eat toddlers for breakfast. _Thank goodness for that._ Growing up near the sea, Kairi had learned about all manner of different island flora and fauna, including what animals could be dangerous and which ones were harmless. She knew that her 'useless’ talent for identifying marine life would come in handy someday.

“Oh, oh right, Sharky, of course. Well- I think maybe we should leave Sharky be for now? Your mother is looking for you and she seems worried sick about you.”

She extended a hand to Moana.

“Come on, let’s go find her before the-”

She was abruptly cut off by the sight of a swarm of heartless that had suddenly appeared out of the water. Great blobs of angry looking liquid emerged from the sea and started bobbing along towards them.

“Quick, run!” she took her hand and started a sprint for the safety of the treeline, scooping up the toddler in her arms, her little legs wouldn’t have been able to keep up with Kairi’s pace. The heartless rose out of the water and started firing balls of hot water at the two.

“Go away!” she shouted, summoning her keyblade whilst keeping Moana under one arm and deflecting their attacks as she continued to run. She mustn’t let her get hurt. They were almost at the edge of where the beach ended when she heard a familiar voice call her name.

“Kairi! Over here!” Aqua motioned to her from a few yards away to take cover amongst the trees. Just as she reached it, she turned around and fired a blizzard spell, stopping the watery heartless in their tracks as the three of them escaped into the dense foliage.

The woman they’d met on the beach sprinted up to them calling her daughter’s name.

“Moana! Oh thank goodness you’re OK, you could have been hurt by those monsters! What have we told you about wandering off on your own?” she scolded the young girl as Kairi set her down on the ground and she ran to her mother.

“I think you got rid of those last ones, Kairi. Doesn’t seem to be any sign of more coming” Aqua said as she looked behind her towards the beach. They must have been near the village, she could see a couple of people in the distance, probably wondering what all the fuss was about.

Moana’s mother picked her daughter up and held her in her arms. They heard a male voice call out not too far away. He too must have been looking for Moana.

“Tui, its OK she’s safe!” the woman answered the voice.

The man called Tui rushed over to who they presumed was his wife’s and daughter’s side and gently held his daughters face in his hands.

“Thank goodness… What have we told you about wandering off to the ocean? It’s not safe, Moana!” he scolded her, and she made a pouty, stubborn face back.

A few villagers had started to gather to see what was going on. Judging by the way they looked at this man and how he was dressed slightly different to the rest, Kairi assumed he was their leader and chief.

“It was these girls that found her not me. She’d still be lost if it wasn’t for them.” His wife handed Moana to Tui and gestured at her and Aqua. She calmly smiled and nodded while Kairi sheepishly raised a hand to say hello.

He gave a confused look at the girls, these mysterious strangers who had found his daughter. He approached them cautiously but with an air of confidence about him. He was clearly a man who demanded respect. Aqua stood her ground but Kairi felt herself shrink into herself, wishing she’d disappear. They hadn’t done anything wrong, but if he said so, these people could easily turn on them if he thought they were any kind of threat.

“You’re not from around here” he began. “Who are you and how did you get here?” he said with a slight frown.

“We’re Um.. We’re…”

“Travellers.” Aqua interjected. “We’re from far away and we were looking for land to rest on and must have happened upon your island. We’re very sorry to have intruded but when we noticed your daughter was missing, we had to help find her”. Aqua being a far more experienced world traveller than Kairi was used to dealing with different people and explaining she was a friend not a foe without giving herself away as a stranger from a different world. Kairi had much to learn. She’d panicked and buckled under the pressure of being asked who they were. She silently thanked Aqua in her head.

“Tui, it doesn’t matter who they are. As far as I’m concerned, they just saved our daughter from those monsters. Are you going to treat them like they themselves are monsters?” His wife asked him sternly. He may have been the chief, but obviously didn’t want to cross his wife when he knew she was right.

“No you’re right, Sina. I’m sorry.” He said turning back to the girls. “We never get anyone coming new coming to the island. And with all these monsters about.. Again, I apologise. Thank you for saving Moana.” He said with a gentle smile.

The tension in the air dissipated as Tui shook hands with Kairi and Aqua and the villagers muttered to each other. Some of them must have seen at least some of what had gone on.

“Did you see the way she dealt with those monsters?”

“Yeah. And the way the other one took a whole bunch of them out in one go?”

“They’re amazing!”

“I want her to step on me…”

Kairi decided she should speak. It would do no good if Aqua did all the talking and she stayed silent. She needed to learn to be more confident in new worlds with new people.

“My name is Kairi. This is my friend Aqua. Its lovely to meet you all, you really do have a beautiful home.” She bowed her head slightly in respect.

“Ah what lovely names you both have.” a new voice said as an elderly woman approached from the small crowd. “Very… Ocean like. You’ll have to excuse my son. He can be quite hot headed at times” the older woman said with a slight grin.

“Mother please…”

Kairi and Aqua exchanged a glance and giggled to themselves.

He let Moana down and she immediately ran to her grandmother’s feet, reaching her hand up to hers. She took the toddlers hand in her own and made to speak to the girls again. Tui started to shoo the crowd away, telling them to go about their day as usual until it was just the two keyblade wielders, Moana and her parents and grandmother.

“You both seem experienced in combat I must admit” Tui regarded them both.

“Yes I agree” Sina added. “Have you seen these monsters before? You took care of them as if they were nothing.”

They had to be careful how they answered that. Kairi looked at Aqua for some advice but Aqua answered for them.

“Yes we’ve seen them before whilst we’ve been travelling” _Ah, clever._ “Have they always been a problem around here?”

The grandmother, Tala, answered her.

“No not always. But they do seem to be appearing more frequently” she said as she rubbed her chin.

“We could take care of them for you. We’ve fought these kinds before, and we’d hate to see anyone getting hurt because of them. Please, let us help you. We can try and make the island safer for everyone. Show us where you’ve seen them.”

“Of course. That would be a great help to us all. We usually see them on the outskirts of the village and near the shoreline. They don’t appear all the time but they’re definitely growing in numbers. Come with us, we’ll show you.” The chief motioned for them to follow him and Tala took Moana with her to have a nap.

“Come on, little one. I think it’s time for your nap. You’ve had a busy day” Tala said to Moana.

“I’m not sleepy..” She yawned as her grandmother led her away into the village.

“You did well then, don’t be so worried. You’re doing fine” Aqua whispered to Kairi as they walked along into the village.

“Thanks Aqua. I promise I won’t let you down.” She was so eager to prover herself to her mentor that she could do this. She could take down a bunch of heartless no problem!

***

“We saw a few around here last night. They looked like strange monkeys.. Either way, they are not welcome here where they will cause harm and destruction.” One villager approached his chief showing them an area near the edge of the village where they’d been spotted.

“And a whole bunch of them where near our fishing grounds, scaring the fish and ruining our nets”. They must be those funny looking water blob things that chased her before. She could deal with another load of them. Bring it on.

“We can take care of them. Don’t worry about it. But please, return to the village just in case. Leave the fighting to us.” Aqua assured them.

“You might want to head back now..” Kairi said, pointing up at a tree. A dozen or so powerwilds started to appear, jumping around on the trees branches and taunting them below.

“I hate to flee from a fight..” muttered Tui as he lead his people away to safety.

They leapt down from the tree all at once, trying to make a break for it to follow the villagers.

“No you don’t!” yelled Aqua as she cast a Thundaga at the foes and Kairi struck two go them down in one blow.

“Aqua, to your left!”

Aqua set a barrier around her to expel the heartless, sending them flying right into Kairi’s way, who started slashing at them one by one. They were starting to drive them out of the village and near the shoreline. With the powerwilds taken care of, as if on cue, the water heartless emerged from the reef, more of them than last time.

“You ready?” asked Aqua as she gripped her keyblade, ready to perform a finishing manoeuvre.

“Always ready!” as Kairi and Aqua broke out into their spell weaver finisher, spinning and hitting the heartless as they almost gracefully danced about the beach, finishing the foes off.

Kairi almost didn’t break a sweat, a little panty from all that spinning and feeling a little dizzy, but otherwise, she could do that again.

“We make a great duo you and I!” Said Aqua, praising her new student. She could feel the heat rise to her cheeks, feeling slightly embarrassed at Aqua’s praise. It just still felt odd for such an experienced keyblade master to think of her, a rookie in anyone else’s eyes as a worthy keyblade wielder.

“Thanks! We sure do!” Kairi answered, still flattered by Aqua’s remark at her skill.

Aqua took a look around the reef and the edge of the village. Not a heartless in sight. She walked towards the edge of the water and raised her keyblade skywards.

“What are you doing?” Kairi asked with a slight tilt of her head.

“Just a little added protection for them” said Aqua, looking behind her. A shot of magic expelled from her blade as Aqua put up a very discreet barrier around the shore. Invisible to human sight, but effective at keeping heartless at bay.

“There.” She said, returning to Kairi. “Hopefully that will help them for a short while at least. They’ll be able to fish just up to the reef without being bothered by heartless. It should extend all around the island.”

“Wow…” Kairi marvelled at her invisible handiwork. “But, isn’t this technically meddling in the affairs of other worlds?” she asked with a little sly smile.

Aqua just touched the side of her nose twice and winked at her.

“Technically, yes. But sometimes you have to do a little bit of meddling in order to help others. It comes with the job of keyblade master.”

Kairi laughed. “Right. Being a master gives you special privileges then eh?”

“Something like that” Aqua said with a giggle.

The two headed back to the heart of the village to tell them all that the 'monsters’ had been taken care of and that they could rest easy knowing they’d be safe from harm and could go about their life as normal.

***

“You have our thanks, Aqua, Kairi.” Tui addressed the two girls. “We’ve done a quick scout around the island and there doesn’t seem to be a monster in sight. We can rest easy knowing you’ve taken care of them for us. Thank you.” He put a fist over his heart in thanks and gave a little bow.

“Oh don’t worry about it, like we said, we’ve dealt with these kind before. Defeating them is what we do best” Aqua answered. Kairi gave a nod of agreement.

They noticed Tala approaching from one of the smaller huts.

“She’s fast asleep inside. Don’t worry, I’ll keep a close eye on her in case she sleepwalks she said with a wink. Turning to the girls she said “Would you two mind if you would help me out with something please?”

“Of course. What is it?” Kairi asked her.

She waved a hand over, inviting them to follow her back into the hut. As they walked in, they noticed little Moana asleep in a hammock. The little adventurer needed her rest after the day she’d had.

Tala sat down and Kairi and Aqua followed suit.

“Thank you for all your help today girls. You certainly know how to handle these monsters.” she looked up towards them. “You say you are travellers is that right?”

“Um..” Aqua went to answer. Unsure of how to address the question without sounding too suspicious about their whereabouts to the old woman. She seemed to know more than she let on. They had to be careful of what they said.

“Sort of. We’ve seen these monsters before where we come from if that’s what you mean” Kairi said, trying to throw her off the scent a little.

Tala gave a chuckle. “It’s OK girls. You don’t have to worry about your origins with me. I can keep a secret. It’s the same with us. We were once voyagers, long, long ago. We would travel the ocean from island to island searching for new lands to discover and new places to call home. We met people like you along our travels. People with strange weapons like the ones you carry, who fought monsters and protected the world from darkness. But they too seemed to have disappeared. Maybe lost their old ways just like we did.”

Tala knew what keyblade wielders were? Kairi and Aqua blinked in disbelief and looked at each other. _Wha-_ Kairi went to mouth to her when Tala cut her off.

“I was only very young when we abandoned the old ways. But that’s one thing I do remember. People like you with strong hearts and a desire to protect those that mattered. I’m one of the oldest in this village and probably the only one who remembers. So don’t worry.” She leaned in closer to them and whispered “I won’t tell a soul" with a playful look on her face. “Besides, they all think I’m crazy anyway.”

Kairi knew she could trust Tala not to tell. She seemed so familiar somehow. Kairi felt at ease around her.

“Thank you for not telling everyone about us. But why did you all abandon the old ways? Why stop being voyagers?” Aqua asked.

Tala put a hand to some sort of pendant around her neck and said, “Because of this.”

Because of a necklace?

Tala continued her tale. “This isn’t just an ordinary necklace you see. It holds something very important to our people inside. The heart of Te Fiti.”

Kairi was entranced by the tale Tala weaved.

“Many years ago, a Demigod known as Maui stole the Heart of Te Fiti and by doing so, brought chaos and danger to our world. He was banished to an uncharted island as punishment. Only by restoring the heart will these beautiful islands return to their former glory. Only then will peace return and these monsters will disappear. And I believe.. "She started as she looked lovingly behind her at her sleeping granddaughter. “That Moana is the one who can save us all. She will be the one that will journey to find Maui and restore the heart. That is why she is so drawn to the ocean. It is her destiny that calls to her.”

The hut seemed eerily quiet now as Kairi almost whispered "You really think so?” Not as in doubt that this little girl could save their world one day but in marvel of it.

“Oh I know so. She has a strong heart; I can sense it even from this young age. I know she can do it”.

A strong heart… And a strong light... Could Moana be one of the new princesses of heart? Kairi thought. It was very possible. If so, they would have to make sure she saw her destiny through and that she didn’t become a target for the heartless. All the well that they came here today to clear the area and help protect the island. Aqua seemed to be thinking the same thing, Kairi noticed as she took a glance at her mentor.

“Well, it’s been a pleasure meeting you both” she said as she got up, rapidly changing the mood. “Thank you again for helping us all and saving Moana, Aqua and Kairi. You should probably be getting back to where you come from now I’d imagine?”

“Oh, yes of course. Thank you, Tala. I hope Moana will fulfil her destiny one day.” Aqua said as she got up alongside Kairi and made her way to the door. Before slipping out, Kairi turned to take one more look at the kind old woman. So familiar.. She wondered. Tala gave her a nod with a smile which Kairi returned, and then they were back outside.

"Best leave now or they’ll start asking questions” Aqua said to Kairi.

“Yeah, good idea” She answered, but Kairi was still thinking about Tala. Of that familiar face and general kind vibe about her. As Aqua opened up a corridor and proceeded through it, Kairi followed with thoughts of her past in her mind.

***

Dusk had arrived on the land of departure as Kairi and Aqua returned from their travels. Ven and Terra were waiting for them with dinner already out. As the four of them ate, Aqua told the boys about their days work helping the islanders with their heartless trouble. Kairi was silent though. Absentmindedly playing with her food scraps with her fork. She couldn’t get Tala out of her mind. Why did she seem to recall her from somewhere? She was so familiar it was starting to annoy her that she couldn’t quite place this mysterious connection.

“You felt that light too didn’t you Kairi? It was the exact same as when I first met you all those years ago. Kairi?”

Kairi looked up at hearing her name. “Huh? Oh. Sorry Aqua. Yeah, she definitely had a strong light about her. She’s got to be another princess of heart, just like me.”

Kairi wasn’t exactly sure why she was the only one out of the original seven princesses who had not passed her role on. Perhaps it was something to do with the fact that her heart hadn’t been involved in making that keyblade? After all, it had slumbered inside of Sora until he’d released it with that same exact blade.

“Interesting..” Terra remarked.

“Well it sounds like she’ll be fine thanks to you two protecting the island. Way to go, girls!” exclaimed Ven.

Kairi still wasn’t in the mood for celebrating. She wanted to know who Tala reminded her of. Surely it was somewhere in the depths of her memory.

Kairi’s silence hadn’t gone unnoticed. Ven cast a worried look to Terra and Aqua.

“Are you OK Kairi? You seem awful quiet. You can tell us if something is bothering you remember.”

She might as well tell them. Maybe they’d know how to help.

“I just keep thinking about Tala, Moana’s grandmother we met today. There’s something so familiar about her but I just don’t know what. It’s like I know her but I don’t? Does that make sense?” she confessed, looking at the three wielders in turn.

Terra and Ven seemed just as perplexed as she was. Aqua on the other hand, seemed to have had a light bulb moment.

“I thought she seemed familiar too! Kairi, when we first met in Radiant Garden, you weren’t alone. After I cast that spell on you, your grandmother showed up to take you home. She told you a very old story about how the light was nearly swallowed up by the darkness. Do you remember any of that?”

That seemed to have sparked a tiny flame of remembrance in Kairi’s mind. A soft smile, a gentle voice and warm hugs.. Her grandmother. She had a grandmother! How could she have forgotten her? A family member she was obviously so close to? She felt awful. She couldn’t even remember her face.

“I- I don’t really remember that. But I do remember something-or someone. It’s hazy but.. It’s there somewhere..”

It had to be. Somewhere in the depths of her memory she knew there was someone special that she missed. Speaking with Tala and Aqua had triggered something in her mind. Not much but something just enough to start remembering.

“Do you think she’s-” she stopped herself. _Still alive_. Was what she was trying to ask. It had been years since then. What if she wasn’t around anymore?

“Hey, I tell you what” Terra said, interrupting her intrusive thought. “Why don’t you go back to Radiant Garden? You never know, by visiting, it may spark some memories about your past. It could be worth a try?”

“Uh-huh. Also, we were talking before about Radiant Garden. Ansem the wise lives there again now right? And he’s the guy that has all that data on Sora. So who better to ask on where to start looking for him than Ansem?” Ven added in.

Ansem, of course! Why didn’t she think of that sooner? If there was one person in all the worlds that knew about Sora it was him.

“That’s a brilliant idea guys! I mean, Sora’s my main priority so visiting Ansem is a must but it wouldn’t hurt to maybe find out about my past right?”

The three of them nodded in agreement. Then Aqua said “Don’t worry about your training for now. You’ve been making great progress and can definitely handle yourself out there. Getting Sora back is everyone’s priority at the minute. You go to Radiant Garden and see what you can find out. I’ve got to stay here unfortunately but to be honest, I think you’ll be absolutely fine by yourself.”

She didn’t mind going alone. It was just that she had no idea where anything was nor how to get to Ansem’s Castle. She needed someone who knew the area properly to come with her for support. She couldn’t ask Terra or Ven, they were too busy with training. Who knew Radiant Garden the best?

An idea forming in her head, she got her gummi phone out of her pocket and scrolled through her contacts list.

“It’s OK, I think I know just who to ask” she said with a smile.

***

_Please pick up please pick up._

Sat alone in her bedroom, she anxiously waited for her contact on the other end to answer her. He was the only one she knew that could help her out.

Finally, it beeped, and a face appeared on her screen.

“Yo! If it isn’t my favourite training partner! How goes it Kai?”

“Hey, Axel! I’m doing good. Been training with Aqua and the boys for a few days. What about you-”

“Is that Kairi?” a different voice asked.

“Hey! Let us talk to her too!”

“Woah woah wait! She decided to call me. OK?” he teased.

“We can all fit in the shot!”

“Stop hogging, Axel!”

The view on her screen went this way and that as Axel tried to get the phone out of his friend’s hands then finaly getting it back and positioning it so all three of them could fit in. From what she could tell, they were in their usual spot on top of the clock tower in Twilight Town.

“There, ya happy now? Now we can all talk to her.”

Kairi laughed as two other people came into view and waved at her. Roxas and Xion. Axel’s two best friends from their days in the organization.

“Kairi!” Xion was the first to say hello to her. “It’s been a while!”

“Hey Kairi! I heard you’re training with Aqua now right? That’s amazing!” Roxas shouted.

She noticed that all three of them were out of their organization cloaks and wearing their own clothes. Somehow that made her feel happy for them, no longer just nobodies part of a group that they had no choice in the matter to join. Just casual, Roxas, Xion and Axel, their own people.

“So how are things with you guys?”

Roxas was the one to answer her. “Really good actually. We’re all living in Twilight Town now. Got a little apartment near the centre of town. We still come up here every day for ice cream as you can see!”

“Great! I’m really happy for you all” she smiled. They deserved to be happy after everything they’d been through.

She’d gotten side-tracked. She needed to ask Axel if he’d go with her to Radiant Garden sometime.

“Oh right, Axel can I ask you something?”

“Sure, fire away.” He said, ice cream stick still in hand.

“Um. You used to live in Radiant Garden right? That’s where you grew up? Well, I really want to go back there. It’s where I’m originally from too and plus, I need to see Ansem and ask him if he has any leads on Sora. Would it be OK if you’d come with me though? I’d feel a lot better going with someone who knows the place well.”

She drew a breath, waiting for his response. She’d go alone but she did really want him there with her, for support if anything.

“Sure thing, Kai! We’ve been meaning to go back anyway. Went about two weeks ago, had a couple of things to iron out with Ansem after the battle right guys?”

Roxas glanced away slightly. She knew he’d been a big part of reviving Roxas in the first place, but the two had bad blood between them. She wondered if he’d really forgiven him after all this time.

“Never got much of a chance to show them around ya see? But sure, I’ll be your head tour guide!”

“Thank you so much, Axel! Are you free Friday by any chance?”

“No can do I’m afraid, but Saturday is good. That OK with you two?” he asked his friends.

Roxas have a nod.

“Yep!” Xion replied. “It’s going to be great seeing you again Kairi!”

Three days from now. That was good. Actually, thinking about it- the last time she’d been face to face with Xion they’d been trying to kill each other. And she’d never really gotten a chance to speak with Roxas, only that one time when Sora connected the two when she was still on the islands.

“Alright! We’ll see you then! Gotta sign off for now, if you meet us outside the station for 9, we can all head off together. See ya, Kai!”

“Bye Kairi!” the other two waved goodbye before the screen went black and the call ended.

Giving a sigh of relief, she lay back on the bed. She couldn’t wait to finally return to her birthplace. Would it trigger any memories? She wondered. And could Ansem help with their search for Sora? He was their only hope at the moment. Surely he’d be able to give some sort of clue. She could only wait, and hope.

***

Putting his gummiphone away, Axel noticed he was still smiling like an idiot after Kairi’s call. He was so relived to hear from her properly after all those weeks. They’d always messaged back and forth but he didn’t want to bother her with a long phone call with the way she had been emotionally, so he’d let her do things in her own time at her pace.

Xion, not noticing that her ice cream had started to melt whilst talking to Kairi, was not complaining that it had dripped all over her skirt, Roxas teasing her saying she should just lick it off. He turned his head slightly, looking at his other best friend who seemed in silent thought over something.

“You’re awfully quiet. What’s up, Isa?”

His blue haired friend simply stared out into the sunset, either ignoring the question or contemplating how to answer.

“That’s his thinking face.” Xion remarked. “Come on, something on your mind? You can tell us.”

Isa finally turned to face the three, he looked slightly worried about something. Isa didn’t worry about anything though. _What’s got his goat?_

“If you’re all going to Radiant Garden, I think its best that I stay behind.” He simply answered.

“Wha?!” Axel was kind of taken aback. “I thought you wanted to see our old hometown again? I mean, I know you and Kairi aren’t exactly the best of buds but- you still gotta apologise to her.”

“That’s exactly the point. I _want_ to apologise. I need to. I just don’t think she’ll forgive me or even want to talk to me at all. It will just make things awkward and uneasy. It’s easier if I just stay behind.”

Axel thought for a moment. Kairi had forgiven him but it was a different story with Isa. He’d been the one to lock her in the castle dungeon and make her feel worthless. This was a tricky one.

“Just do the same as you did with us.” Roxas said. “We came around to you after all, and you were a complete ass to us in the organization.”

“Yes I am aware of that…” he answered cooly.

Roxas still liked to have the occasional dig at Isa every now and then. It was only banter between them, Axel knew that Roxas was good with Isa now, Xion too. It had taken a lot for him to swallow his pride and admit that he was jealous of the two, and to talk about his hidden agenda of trying to find their long-lost friend from the castle all those years ago.

“Look, you need to apologise, and she needs to realise you’re not a threat to her. Wil you just come with us and at least try? I’ll make sure it all goes as smooth as can be. But uh.. just remember. Try not to provoke her in any way, yeah? She can and _will_ kick your ass.”

“We know, Axel.” Xion leaned in to take part in the conversation. “Remember she had me stunned for a minute or so then came charging at you, Isa, when you had Axel cornered. You’re both super feisty when you want to be, you sure you’re not related?” she asked jokingly.

Roxas laughed and Axel even caught a slight smile from Isa. He was still mulling it over when he finally gave Axel his answer.

“Alright, fine. I’ll go with you. I still don’t think this is going to work though, but anything to shut you up.”

“Hey! Unfair!” Axel went to give him a shove in the shoulder as the four of them started in fits of laughter. That’s all these days had been for them. Just chilling out, laughing, making their own lives. Maybe things would be a little tense at first, but if he could win Roxas over of all people, then surely he could convince Kairi that he wasn’t all bad. He gave his arms a stretch and leaned back against the tower with his legs hanging off the edge. _Should be an interesting weekend_ he thought to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Its done. Kinda. Theres probably mistakes here and there. Oh well.  
> -Heh, you thought it was gonna be Agrabah didn't you. I would never do that to y'all.  
> -Suncream is needed on warm islands. Red hair=pale skin=burn easy.   
> -Not much going on in their world, its obviously before Moana grows up and starts her journey.   
> -Kairi's good with animals and stuff since she's a princess. Is that stereotyping? Yes, yes it is. But hey, she knows the difference between sharks. A+ in your marine biology, Kai  
> -She's still a little nervy with not being to a new world before. Minus LOD, and KG. If she blows their cover das bad.  
> -You can't not meddle as a keyblade wielder. Thats just how things are I don't care what Eraqus said. Name ONE time where somebody didn't meddle.  
> -Tala kind of triggers a memory of Kairi's grandma. She can't properly remember her but meeting Tala was enough to spark something in her mind about her.  
> -She's also one of those types of characters that knows more than they let on if you see what I mean? She probably saw a few keyblade wielders back in the day. Maybe they were from Scala. Who knows.  
> -Ansem still has all that data on Sora back in RG. They're hoping that by accessing that, it could give a clue on how to find/revive him  
> -Axel prefers to go by that name rather than Lea. He thinks its cooler sounding. Plus its what Roxas and Xion know him as.  
> -Sea Salt squad +Kairi trip to Radiant Garden! WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG  
> -Isa still feels guilty about being a dick to Kairi in KH2. But he also knows she can kick ass now. So yh he's a little nervy.  
> -They also want to see Ansem for something else. What could that be. :)


	4. Far-Flung Memories

Making sure she wasn’t late meeting her friends, Kairi had set multiple alarms on her Gummiphone, ensuring she would wake up with plenty of time to get ready and meet at Twilight Town. She hoped she didn’t wake Ven up but from what she’d heard from Terra and Aqua, he slept like a log. She left a note on the kitchen table telling them she would call or text when she knew where she was up to and when she would be coming back. With almost half an hour to spare and feeling eager and excited, she opened up a corridor and set off for Twilight Town.

*

It was exactly how she remembered it, she thought as she emerged in an alley way near what seemed to be the Tram Common. A sleepy town with the odd person here and there, buying and selling or just hanging out. Except that fancy restaurant over there, she noticed. That was new. After wandering about the streets, familiarising herself with the place, she headed towards the station where she would meet Axel and the others. Luckily street signs pointed her in the right direction, so she had no need to ask the locals. She could just imagine the funny looks she would get if she asked where such an important area of the world would be. Checking her phone for the time, she hurried along until she saw the huge clock tower with the station beneath. And standing near the side of the station, she spotted that familiar spikey head of red hair that could only belong to Axel, and of course his best friend Roxas at his side.

“Yo, Kairi!” Axel waved her over to join them with a huge smile on his face. She ran over to them only to be completely squashed by Axel’s big bear hug. Roxas rolling his eyes at his companion.

“I’ve seriously missed you! It’s been way too long, training buddy! Hey, have you let your hair grow a little? Looking good!”

“Axel… let her breathe, she’s only just got here.” Said Roxas, not wanting his friend to suffocate her by sheer hug power.

“Ah sorry, Kai.” He said as he let go and let her say hello to Roxas too.

“I missed you too! And Roxas- We’ve never really met properly have we?” she asked awkwardly. Did talking in a weird dream state whilst one of them was in a data version of the current world they were in count?

“Well, sort of.” He gave a small laugh. “Well either way, good to see you again Kairi.” he said as he extended a hand with a warm smile on his face. Almost the spitting image of Sora. She shook the thought out of her head as she took Roxas’ hand to shake. Taking a quick glance around the station, she noticed someone was missing.

“Wait, where’s Xion?”

“Went on ahead.” Roxas answered. “I forgot something, and she was eager to get there so we thought I’d wait her with Axel until you arrived.” Just as he said that, he reached over his shoulder to get something out of his backpack and handed it to Kairi. “Here! Its for you!”

“Wha-for me?” she asked with a slight surprise in her voice. Did she just receive a present from Roxas?

“Axel told me you like to write. So me and Xion picked this up for you yesterday, I hope you like it!”

It was a writing set, beautifully designed and rather expensive looking. She didn’t know what to say. The fact that Axel had remembered at all made her choke up a little.

“That’s so sweet of you guys. Thank you so much!” she put both arms around them and brought them into a group hug. Roxas went red in the face and made some incomprehensible noise in return.

“Heh, thank Xion too when we get there. It was her idea really.” Axel said to her. Poor Roxas still looked like a tomato that had been left in the sun for too long. She felt a little bad for embarrassing him but Axel reassured her quietly that he was like that with Xion too sometimes. Kairi put the set away in her bag.

“Still figuring out which buttons to press with the ladies aren’t ya Roxas?” he teased.

“I- No! Oh shut up.” Roxas gave a quick snap back as he opened up a corridor with one of his keyblades and quickly slipped inside it. Roxas, apparently, was very good at summoning corridors of light. He seemed good at everything though, which was a feat considering he was self-taught. Still laughing amongst themselves, Axel and Kairi followed him through the corridor.

***

They emerged into an unfamiliar place; it must have been residential area from all the houses scattered about. Colourful, wooden roofed buildings with the occasional stained-glass window surrounded them. As Kairi looked up, she saw that the sky had a pinkish hue to it. This was her home. Her original home, at least. This was where she had spent the first few years of her life. And had consequently had the memories of her time here robbed from her. Perhaps something would trigger a memory as they walked about the town. She hoped so.

“What took you guys so long?” a cheerful voice called out. The three of them made their way to their other friend, Xion was standing next to a shop front next to someone else. A tall man, with long blue hair and-

_Oh no._

_Not him._

She abruptly stopped in her tracks upon seeing the man, hand flexing, ready to summon her keyblade at any moment. Eyes widening as she almost went into a reflexive battle stance. She’d fought him before, and she’d do it again. And this time she was even more prepared.

“I forgot where I put Kairi’s present!” Roxas admitted sheepishly. “Anyway, we’re all here now.”

Kairi was still standing a fair distance away from them. She locked eyes with the blue haired man, frowning. Xion bridged the gap between them and approached Kairi, trying to diffuse the rising tension.

“Hi Kairi! It’s so nice to finally speak with you properly and not trying to beat you up.” She gave a little laugh. “Sorry about that by the way. I didn’t hurt you did I?”

Kairi relaxed a little at Xion’s greeting and apology. Though it really wasn’t needed.

“Oh, no of course not! It wasn’t your fault. Hey, thank you so much for the present you and Roxas gave me! That was really kind of you.”

“No worries! Glad you liked it.” She replied. She seemed so different to how she was in the Graveyard. Gone was the stone cold, emotionless warrior. Xion was a real sweetheart with a kind smile and a warm sense about her. She could see them both becoming good friends. Axel and Roxas had gone to talk with the other guy, Saix. She’d really enjoyed beating the shit out of him all those weeks ago.

“What’s he doing here?” she almost hissed.

“Oh, Isa. Yeah. He wasn’t sure if he should come to be honest. But he does want to apologise to you for everything. I think he’s worried about your reaction though.”

“He can stick his apology up his ass.”

“Ah. That was the reaction I think he was worried about.”

So, he went by the name Isa now. Must have been his human name. Just how like Axel’s was Lea, but he preferred to go by his nobody name nowadays. Not that it made a difference to her. Whatever name he’d go by, Isa was still a manipulating and cruel bastard in her opinion.

Finally, the other three made their way over to her and Xion. Brilliant. They’d only just got here and already the day was off to an awful start.

Isa looked apprehensive about speaking up. It was almost like seeing a completely different side to him, she wasn't fooled though. People don't change that easily.

Still, she wanted to be the first one to speak. She wanted him to know she wasn't scared of him anymore. OK, maybe she still was a little scared. But she was the one with the keyblade after all. If it started to go south, she had the upper hand.

"Hello Isa." she said plainly and without any expression on her face.

He looked up, a little startled that she'd actually spoken to him. Axel, Roxas and Xion watched on in apprehension, not really sure what to do or what to say.

"Kairi, I.. Well I uh.." clearing his throat, he started again. "Please. Let me apologise for everything that I've done in the past. I know I did terrible things and I just-"

"Save it. I've got more important things to worry about right now." She interrupted. "So you're sorry. Whatever. Right now my priority is finding Sora. I don't care about much else to be honest." She stood, unmovable, looking up at him right into his eyes. He averted his gaze and simply replied "Yes, yes of course. I understand."

Axel drew in a breath and rubbed his hand along the back of his head. Xion simply turned to Roxas and said "Well, at least they spoke."

Trying to diffuse the tension again, Axel took charge of the group and quickly changed the subject.

"Right. The quickest way to the castle is through this area and then up to Central Square. Chop chop!"

He began leading the way with Isa at his side. Kairi fell in behind them alongside Xion and Roxas as they followed their town guide.

Xion was about to say something to Kairi when Axel started explaining where they were.

"So, this area right here is called Castle Town. It's the main residential hub and also boasts some nice shops and all that jazz. It's also got some pretty neat hiding places if you're looking for a quick getaway from a castle guard" he said with a wink at Isa.

"You mean the sewers?" he raised an eyebrow at his friend.

"You guys used to hide in the sewers? That's kinda gross." Xion added.

"Kinda?! That's mega gross!" Roxas grimaced.

Axel turned around and exasperatedly waved his arms about as he spoke. "Well if you were a defenceless teen trying to hide from big ol' Xaldin and Lexaeus then where would you hide?!"

Kairi tried and failed to hide her smirk. That seemed like such an Axel thing to do. With that, they carried on through Castle Town towards the centre.

Xion finally got a chance to speak to Kairi.

"Don't mind Isa. He's actually pretty nice when you get to know him, he just puts up a cold front. He was one of the only ones who would speak to me in the Organisation apart from Xemnas and Vanitas really. Took me under his wing and taught me some new fighting techniques. I know he was horrible to you in the past, he was to us too. But he's admitted his mistakes and he's really trying to atone for what he did. Just try and give him a chance OK? Please?"

"I know how you feel Kairi" Roxas began. "I was the same too. We really had a rocky relationship in the original organization. Hated each other in fact. But I heard him out and I kinda understood why he was acting like a complete ass to everyone. That doesn't excuse his actions of course and I'm still a little mad at him for what he's done in the past but now that I've gotten to know him properly, we've become friends and all four of us hang out and live together now. You don't have to forgive him completely, but at least hear him out."

She trusted these two. And she trusted Axel. Maybe she should give him a chance, after they'd been to see Ansem. If even Roxas could befriend him, surely he couldn't be that bad of a guy? She'd give him one chance. If he blew it then she'd have reason to give him a good smack with the keyblade.

"Alright. He gets one chance. But I want to try and sort all this out first at the castle. Then I'll let him tell his tale."

They reached the end of the residential area where it opened up to a huge central area, filled with flowers, trees and small waterfalls features flanking the perimeter. This must be the main central area she thought, looking around. It was a well looked after and pristine area, like most of the world really. Did she used to play here as a child? Did she enjoy running about near the water or picking flowers? She was a little disappointed that no memories had even begun to return to her. 

“The castle is just up this way” Axel said as he pointed to his right. Sure enough, there was a huge castle that towered over the word. It was a little oddly shaped though. It looked like bits stuck out from all angles. Maybe Radiant Garden architects were a little eccentric. As the five continued on, Kairi realised this must be the same castle that Ansem and Maleficent had gathered the original princesses of heart, the same place that Sora had fought Riku to defend her almost lifeless body as her heart lay slumbering inside Sora. She also remembered being followed by a cute little shadow heartless that for some reason, she just knew had to be Sora. They’d saved each other on that day. Now Kairi was on her journey to save him again. She hoped with all her heart that Ansem could provide some sort of clue to help them find him. Together, they started their ascent up the long flight of stairs that led to the gates.

***

After what seemed like forever, they arrived at the castle gates, Axel and Isa still leading the way up towards two very buff looking men who were guarding the entrance. One had long, black hair whilst the other one’s was short and brownish. They looked quite intimidating, but neither of the four seemed concerned as Axel, who was clearly taking charge of the situation, marched up to the two men as if they were old buddies.

Apparently, they were old buddies.

“Hey!” Axel hollered a greeting. “If it ain’t the Wirlwind Lancer and Taciturn Stalwart! How’s it going my good chums?”

The pair didn’t look very impressed with the greeting.

“What do you want, Axel?” The black-haired guard asked coldly. Roxas gave a nudge to Kairi to inform her that he was called Dilan. Or Xaldin, as he was known back in the day.

“Aw come on, that’s no way to greet your old comrades now is it? We just wanna see Ansem, that’s all. Now could ya let us in please?” Axel asked his request to the guards. Isa standing unwavering at his side and Roxas and Xion giving little waves of hello from behind them. _They must all be ex-organization members_ Kairi thought. At least, from the original thirteen, not the thirteen she and the others had fought at the Graveyard.

“I suppose so. His Lordship isn’t too busy today thankfully. Come, I’ll take you to him.” The other guard, Aeleus, said. He pushed the heavy door in front of him open and gestured for the five of them to come inside. Kairi went in last and noticed an almost spiteful glare directed at Aeleus from Roxas as he walked past him. She wondered what had gone on between them in the past. Aeleus closed the door and led them down a corridor. Then down another. And another. This place was like the Land of Departure with all these long corridors and hallways. Roxas was the one who finally broke the silence.

“So, have you been knocking out anybody else these days, Lexeaus?” he asked casually but with a hint of sarcasm.

“Aw man you’re still not over that?” Axel went to interrupt before Aeleus spoke again.

“That was for training purposes, Roxas. You knew that. And don’t call me by my nobody name.” he said with a growl.

Ah, that must have been why Roxas didn’t look so happy to see him.

It was quite chilly walking through the corridors, the tiled flooring also seemed cool under her feet. There were pipes that ran along the walls and the odd emblem placed here and there. She hoped it was warmer when they got to wherever Ansem was. As they walked in mostly silence, an odd thought appeared in Kairi’s mind and without even thinking, the words were already rolling off her tongue as if she had no control over them.

“Is there a library here at all?”

They all stopped to face her at the sudden break in the silence. Roxas and Xion looking confused. Aeleus answered her question.

“Yes. It’s not too far from Ansem’s study. Down a flight of stairs and to the left. Why do you ask?”

“I- I really don’t know why I said that.” She said as she carried on walking ahead, hoping the others would continue and not ask why she had asked such a random question like that.

Luckily, their party just carried on as normal. They rounded a bend, approaching a room with the door slightly ajar. Aeleus knocked on it twice.

“Lord Ansem, you have more visitors.”

_More visitors? Who else had been here? Or who else_ was _here?_

There was no reply but regardless, Aeleus pushed the door open for them as the five walked in. Then he gave a small nod and returned down the hallway to the outside gates.

The room was a circular shape, filled with bookshelves and various objects that Kairi didn’t recognise. Sat at a round desk ahead of them was an older looking man with blonde hair, wearing a red robe who looked lost in thought as he mulled over a stack of papers in his hands. They stood in awkward silence for a moment. Should one of them clear their throat or something? Before they could decide what to do next, another man poked his read from round a door off to the side. He looked much younger, with silvery hair that covered most of the ride side of his face. _Could he see properly like that?_ Kairi wondered.

“Ansem. We have guests.” He reminded the older man.

“Oh. My I’m so sorry.” He said finally looking up to them all. “I didn’t even hear you come in. My apologies. It is good to see you all again.” He got up from his seat and walked over to greet them all.

As he approached Isa, the blue haired man said something rushed and quiet to Ansem, to which he responded to with a nod. Isa started out of the room, Axel looking back at him saying “I’ll catch up with ya in a bit.”

Where was he going?

“Good to see you all again guys.” The silver haired youth said cheerfully as he properly entered the room and stood beside Ansem. The two looked like mentor and student. She’d recalled that Ansem the Wise had had several apprentices quite some time ago. All of which had become members of the original organization. “You brought a friend along?” he added, looking towards Kairi.

“Hi Ienzo.” Roxas began. “Uh yeah. We’re kinda looking for some help with something.”

“Well. _Two_ somethings really.” Axel corrected.

Ienzo gave his head a slight tilt as he regarded Kairi. Ansem gave his beard a stroke.

“And who might you be, young lady? I’ll admit you do look awfully familiar.” Ansem asked Kairi directly.

“My name is Kairi. I used to live here many years ago, but I can’t remember those days very well I’m sorry. You see, I was hoping-.”

“Kairi?” the two asked in perfect timing with each other.

“Of course! I thought I recognised you!” Ienzo proclaimed. “It’s been years! I’m so glad you’ve finally come back home!”

Kairi was lost in a confused daze for a moment. She knew these people? Why would they have taken any interest in a child?

“I’m really sorry. I know I’m originally from here, but I can’t remember a thing from those days.” It wasn’t a complete lie. The only thing she seemed to recall slightly was that she had a grandmother and that she must have been in this castle’s library at some time. Why she remembered that detail of all things still puzzled her though.

“Ah, do not worry Kairi. You were only young back then. Even if you hadn’t had experienced any memory problems, I wouldn’t have expected you to remember those days very well. You used to come here quite often with your grandma. Everyone in the castle knew you both very well, especially Ienzo. You two loved reading together in the library and telling each other stories. Isn’t that right Ienzo?” Ansem asked the youth.

“Yes, I was very shy back when I was a boy. But I always seemed to come out of my shell when reading and telling stories with you both in the library. When I wasn’t with Even that is.” He gave a laugh as he recalled the old days.

_That_ was why she remembered the library. If she was in there a lot as a child, no wonder it had been at the back of her mind all this time. But what had happened to her grandma? Did she still live here?

“Um.. about my grandma.. Do you know if she still lives here?” She asked Ansem.

Unfortunately, he shook his head. “I haven’t seen nor heard from her in years I’m afraid. We don’t know what happened to her after our world fell to darkness. I’m sorry Kairi.”

“Right…” She hadn’t expected much. She took a look over her shoulder at Axel, Roxas and Xion, who were looking quite sorry for her. Roxas gave a nod of his head. Yes, it was time she asked about Sora.

But before she got the chance, Ienzo had headed towards the door through which he had just emerged from minutes before, calling someone.

“Hey, Even! Come in here!”

“What is it Ienzo? I’m a little busy at the moment!” the voice called back. It belonged to another man, one she didn’t recognise.

“Will you just get in here? We have more visitors.” He replied, sounding slightly exasperated.

The voice got slightly louder as it moved towards the circular room. “Fine. But if its Marluxia asking another stupid question then I’m going back downstairs to be in peace” he said as he finally walked through the open door into Ansem’s study. He was very tall, with long blonde hair and quite a long face to match. His tone softened as he looked at who the new visitors were.

“Ah, its only you.”

“Even!” Xion called. “I didn’t see you here last time!”

“Xion, my dear! Lovely to see you again!” She ran towards him and gave the tall man a huge hug which he reciprocated. “Oh, and the rest of you of course” he added, looking up.

Xion seemed quite close to this Even person. She wasn’t aware of her being particularly fond of anyone else in the organization apart from Axel and Roxas.

“Heh. They’ve gotten close those two.” Said Axel. “Makes sense, they were in the new organization for a little while. At least before Xion was properly battle ready and she took his place. He’s basically her dad after all.”

“He’s her what now?” Kairi asked.

“It’s complicated.” Was all Roxas said.

Ansem gave a chuckle at seeing the pair’s reunion. Ienzo smiled at them both.

“Even, you remember Kairi right?” he asked with a little motion of his head in her direction.

“Kairi…That’s Kairi?! Goodness child, you’ve grown since the last time we met! I’d never have thought I’d see you back here.”

“Uh, yeah! Good to see you too!” She had no idea who he was, but he seemed friendly enough.

Axel, still standing beside his best friends, took a glance around the room before addressing Ansem.

“Hey, you guys are all here. Where is Braig? He should have been recompleted too right?”

“Braig?” Kairi asked him. She didn’t know that name.

“Xigbar. Guy with the eyepatch in the organization.” Xion replied.

Oh, that guy. She’d seen him briefly at the graveyard with the others. He seemed like shifty dude to her and he obviously used to live here once.

Even spoke up to answer Axel’s question. “Don’t know nor do I care. He can stay gone as far as I’m concerned. He always seemed like he was up to something, always plotting something for his own agenda. Good riddance if you ask me.”

Ansem and Ienzo nodded in agreement.

Well, that summed up what they all thought of him.

“He kept calling me Kiddo. That really got on my nerves.” Roxas grumbled.

Ienzo gave a chuckle. “Oh he was always giving everyone nicknames. I’m pretty sure mine was ‘Bookworm’. And I recall he liked to call you ‘Flamesilocks’ is that right Axel?”

Axel didn’t answer. Kairi had to bite her lip to stop her from laughing at the awful nickname. Ienzo then turned to Even to ask him what his nickname in the Organization was.

Even was silent for a moment before muttering something under his breath.

“What was that Even? We didn’t catch that.” Xion spoke up, desperate for him to confess his silly nickname to everyone.

“….Frosty the Snowman.” He finally said, though barely audible with his hand by his mouth.

She _had_ to laugh at that one, as did everyone else for that matter. Even gave a shriek in response to the uproar of laughter saying “AND THAT IS WHY HE IS NOT WELCOME HERE ANYMORE. WHAT A RIDICULOUS WAY TO ADDRESS FELLOW COMRADES!”

Ansem cleared his throat after the laughter had died down and asked the group his original question. “So, you have come here seeking help of some sort. What is it that we can help you with?”

Kairi thought it was best that she answered this. Trying her best to tell the brief version of the story, she explained what had happened at the end of their battle in the Graveyard. That Sora had disappeared shortly after the battle and hadn’t returned home. It was difficult trying to explain it with bits missing. She didn’t want to tell them what had happened to her after she’d been struck down, only that he had left that world and was now presumed lost somewhere out there.

They were all silent for a moment, even Ansem looked dumbfounded at Sora’s predicament.

“That is very odd indeed.” Ienzo said, already looking deep in thought in how he could help.

Xion turned to address Ansem. “You have data on Sora’s heart right? It’s how you managed to help recomplete us. Do you still have it? We thought it could help in at least making a start on how to find Sora.”

Lucky that she mentioned that. In telling her story of Sora’s disappearance she had almost forgotten to ask him about the data, the exact reason they’d come here in the first place.

“Yes, it should still be accessible on our computer. You are more than welcome to have a look. We’ll see what we can find that could provide a clue in tracing Sora.”

“Great! Let’s get going then!” she eagerly said, making her way to the computer room with Ienzo and Even in tow.

“You know I hacked the organization’s computer once.” she told them both as they headed off. Just as they vanished from view, she heard Even proudly exclaim “See? She’s a little genius! Being able to work such a complex machine!” He certainly sounded like a proud father boasting about how great his kid was.

Roxas shuffled uncomfortably for a moment before speaking.

“Um. Is there anything we can do to help that isn’t computer based? I’m uh.. not that great with technology at the moment.”

“You can say that again. Mr I-Smash-Computers-Up-When-I’m-Angry.” Axel interjected.

“It wasn’t even a real one! It was all data so it doesn’t count!” Roxas shot back.

Kairi stifled a laugh. Poor Roxas, she didn’t blame him really. For smashing the computer up and not wanting to be near one because of it.

“Well, you could investigate the library. We have a vast collection of books down there, perhaps there could be something that may assist you. There are some very old texts that I haven’t even read. It wouldn’t surprise me if there was anything to do with keyblade wielders and such. It may be worth a look.” Ansem answered the boy.

“I’ll go with you. Two heads are better than one.” Kairi told Roxas. He gave a nod of agreement and thanks.

“Good luck. We shall all meet back here in the hour.” Ansem said before he also headed to the computer room.

That just left Axel. Although by the sounds of what he said earlier, he had something to investigate too.

“Alright. I’m gonna meet up with Isa. We’ll meet ya later on. Now you all be good, have fun! Don’t break anything!” He said with a grin as he left the room to find his friend.

“Why do I get the feeling that was directed at me?” Roxas asked with a sigh.

 

***

Heading down the identical hallways together, Kairi and Roxas were starting to feel a little lost. It all looked so similar. They knew which way to go thanks to Ansem’s directions but there was still a nagging thought at the back of her mind that they’d end up somewhere completely different and get lost.

They noticed a dark staircase leading down into the lower levels of the castle.

“Reckon this is the one?” asked Roxas.

“Should be. He said two lefts and a right, so it’s got to be this way?”

“Come on, it’s worth a shot.” Roxas said as he began his descent down the stairs. Kairi followed. Luckily, after walking down a pathway, the staircase did in fact lead them to the library. And it was a _big_ library. Huge shelves filled with hundreds of books stood tall all around them. If Kairi stood on Roxas’ shoulders, she still wouldn’t be able to reach the top of the shelves. It even looked like it had another floor to it, looking at how the roof was shaped.

She used to come here a lot as a child with her grandma. She wished she could remember those days, she wanted to know what her grandma was like. What stories she’d tell her and what she and Ienzo used to read together. Feeling annoyed with herself, she tried to shake the thought from her mind. Focus on Sora instead. They were doing this for him after all.

So many books… Where would they even start? Maybe if they looked for something to do with hearts? Or restoring a heart? Something to do with keyblades perhaps? Kairi just realised what an immense task this would be. If even Ansem didn’t know what was down here, it could take them weeks to sift through the whole library to find just one book that would help. Better get started then.

“Maybe if we take one end of a shelf and meet in the middle? Try looking for heart or something.” Kairi instructed Roxas.

“Sure.” He said as he started on the other end of the huge shelf. “Man this is going to take forever.”

“I know. Sorry.” She said. She felt bad for dragging him into this. But maybe he would rather search through books rather than search through a computer. Trying to make things a little less boring, she started to talk to Roxas about his time in the Organization.

“It was weird at first. I don’t even remember my first week. Axel said I was like a zombie. But then I started to act more like a human, I learned to fight and pretty much everything about life to be honest. I didn’t know what a friend was or anything. Until me, Axel and Xion started to hang out.”

She thought for a moment.

“You were self-taught with the keyblade right?”

“Yep. There was no one to teach me since it was just me at first that could use it. It’s funny though, sure I wasn’t very good at first but after a while, it just came naturally to me. Almost like muscle memory. Xion said the same thing too- probably something to do with our connection with Sora.”

“I wish wielding the keyblade came more naturally to me. I’ve trained as much as I can and I’m still learning but I always feel like I’m lagging behind everyone else.”

She wasn’t even aware of what she was saying at first. But it felt good to get it off her chest. She needed to voice that aloud to someone.

Roxas didn’t answer right away. Perhaps he was thinking of a suitable response to that.

“Well, does it really matter? Everyone progresses differently. Just because one person appears to be making more progress than you, that doesn’t mean you have to rush to ‘keep up’. Trust me Kairi, you’re more capable than you think. You gotta stop comparing yourself to others. From what I’ve heard, you’re doing absolutely fine.” He looked at her not with pity, but with a reassuring gaze that matched his words. She wasn’t expecting such an encouraging response like that. It made a small lump rise in her throat. She had to remind herself to stop getting so emotional over everything.

“Thanks, Roxas.” Was all she managed to get out. She wanted to say a lot more, but that lump in her throat wasn’t going to let her without making her start crying or something.

“No worries. Hey, you know what we should do? When Sora’s back, let’s all teach each other our own unique ways of using the keyblade. We can all learn from each other and it’ll make us even better wielders than before!” He said with a cheerful smile.

“I’d like that!”

She wasn’t exactly sure what she could teach Roxas of all people. He was so powerful after all. He’d even beaten Riku once and that was saying something.

They heard something go thud from a few rows away. Followed by another thud. It sounded like someone throwing things. They each gave each other the same look of puzzlement and followed the source of the noise. Moments later, they heard a female voice along with the thud and clatter of whatever it was that was being thrown.

“No, nope. Not that one. What’s this? 101 ways to cook a delicious meal by Remy the Rat? Ew! Definitely not!” Another thud. Whoever it was seemed to be throwing books all over the place.

A different voice spoke up. A calmer and quieter voice that belonged to a man.

“Elrena, please. I don’t think Ansem will be pleased seeing that you’ve been trashing the place. What are you, a child?”

“Hey, we’re not going to get anywhere by your slow method, Lauriam. I’ll put them all back don’t worry.” The voice said sarcastically.

Roxas turned to Kairi. “Wait a minute.. is that...? But why are they here?”

Before she could ask how Roxas knew them, he stepped from behind the shelf that they’d been eavesdropping behind and into the view of the two library trashers.

“Marluxia? Larxene?”

The two people suddenly stopped what they were doing and whipped their heads around to see who had called their names. Both wore the organization black coat; the man was tall with long pink hair and the woman was smaller with blonde hair with two bits that stuck up like weird antennas. She scowled when she saw Roxas.

“Ugh. What’s this? Organization rehash, the sequel? Could ask you the same Roxas. How are you even alive anyway? Actually, don’t answer that. I don’t care. And the name’s Elrena not Larxene. We’re both people again now, whoopdeedoo.” The woman said with a dragging, sarcastic tone.

_So, these two must have also been a part of the Organization. Part of both organizations by the sound of it._

Roxas just stood in stunned silence, blinking for a moment. Clearly, he hadn’t expected to see these two again.

“Excuse her.” Said the pink haired man. “She’s tried from all the travelling we’ve done over the past few weeks. We’ve been recompleted as you can see, but unfortunately, we cannot remember much of our old lives. We’ve been all over trying to search for clues as to where we came from, but to no avail. Hence why we ended up here, Ansem kindly let us look in here in hopes that we may find something useful to us.”

“Oh just blab your whole life story to them why don’t you?” Elrena mocked.

“Right… Well, good luck with your search, I guess. Come on Kairi, we’ve still got our own searching to do.”

But Kairi was oddly intrigued by these two people. They too couldn’t remember their past. She felt sorry for them, she knew how that felt having a chunk of your life missing from memory.

“You can’t remember anything at all?” Kairi asked them.

“Bits here and there. I can just about picture what our old world looked like. But we haven’t found anything resembling it on our travels or in any books. And I remember heartless. And weird things that weren’t quite heartless. Flowers, dandelions…”

“Dandelions are weeds not flowers.” Elrena corrected without looking up. Lauriam ignored her.

“I can remember… a fox. Or maybe a wolf? And… I remember her. But only the faintest touch. She disappeared and I’d completely forgotten about her up until recently.”

He seemed to get quite distressed when he mentioned this ‘her’ person. So, they really did have a lot in common. Both searching for a missing person whom they were very close to.

Whilst Elrena continued searching through the books, Roxas had seemed to have developed a curiosity over him too.

“Her?” he asked. “Was she like a close friend or something?”

“No. She was my younger sister.” Lauriam answered.

“You had a sister?!” That had given Roxas quite the shock.

Elrena joined in the conversation, discarding the book she had been flicking through to one side. “Uh-huh. I knew her too. I mean, we have no idea if she’s still around, but we need to find her if she is. Just too bad we can’t remember her name though.”

It appeared that Lauriam and Elrena’s situation was worse than her own. They had almost nothing to go off, no name, no face, no potential whereabouts, nothing. At least she knew who she was looking for, they didn’t have much to go off either but not even knowing who you were looking for? That was tricky. It made her feel even worse for them.

“I really hope you find her, guys. I’m looking for someone too.” She said, trying to reassure and relate to them.

“Thanks, I appreciate it. We just need to keep believing and not give up. And you do the same ok?” Lauriam told her firmly.

It was her belief that had kept him from fading when they'd been attacked by the demon tide. That belief had saved him and then everyone else from death. He was right. She had to keep her faith in him, like she always had done ever since they were small.

"I will, don't worry" she answered.

She caught Elrena looking at them both then quickly moved her gaze elsewhere when Kairi noticed her. Her eyes caught something else however when she noticed the piles of books all over the floor. It was a fairly thick very tatty, old looking book. As if summoning her, she drew closer to the book and picked it up with a bit of effort. It even felt old. The worn-out leather felt brittle against her fingers. There appeared to be a title on the front cover, but the text was hard to make out. Other than that, there was just a large symbol that resembled a star on the cover.

"What's that you've found?" asked Roxas as he joined her among the pile of books.

"Not sure. It looks really old though." She said as she slowly opened the book, not wanting to damage it. She gave it a brisk look over as she flicked through the pages until she stopped at a short passage. She wasn't sure why this one in particular had sparked an interest. She silently began to read it in her head.

_Long ago, people lived in peace, bathed in the warmth of light._

_Everyone loved the light._

_Then, people began to fight over it. They wanted to keep it for themselves._

_And Darkness was born in their hearts._

_The darkness spread, swallowing the light and many people’s hearts. It covered everything and the world disappeared._

_But, small fragments of light survived in the hearts of children._

_With these fragments of light, children rebuilt the lost world; The world we live in now._

She knew this story. A fairy tale she must have read a thousand times over. Aqua's words about her grandma telling her a story about the darkness swallowing the light echoed in her mind. This must be it. This whole book contained fairy tales from long ago, read by hundreds of children including herself. Apparently, it was a well-known tale among keyblade wielders according to Terra.

"Wow. Grim for a kid’s book." said Roxas over her shoulder, startling her slightly. He must have been reading it too.

"It was my favourite story when I was small." She said quietly, desperately trying to remember those days. Although she had to admit, it was an odd choice for a favourite story for a little girl. Maybe it was because of the hopeful ending it gave?

She thought it was a good idea to keep hold of the book for the time being. Maybe Ansem would let her borrow it if she asked nicely. Reading it could spark up a few forgotten memories after all, that was what she hoped anyway.

Still, they continued to work their way along the library, searching for anything that may be of help to them. They had no such luck. The hour was nearly over, and they needed to be getting back to the others to see if they'd had more success. They weren't the only ones who hadn't found what they'd been looking for; Lauriam and Elrena were still on the lookout for clues to their past. Roxas gave Kairi a nudge and showed her the time on his Gummiphone. They’d best be off.

"Hey, uh.. Good luck with your search OK? You'll find your sister, Lauriam. I know you will." Said Roxas, trying to give a little encouragement to the pair.

"Yeah we need to be heading back. It was nice to meet you both." Kairi added, not exactly sure how to say farewell to people she'd just met who used to be her enemies.

"Sure. Hey, if the guys up there ever give you any grief, don’t take any shit from them ok? Trust me, when you’re the only woman living among all those weirdos for years, you learn to bite back. ‘Kay?” Elrena instructed Kairi.

She wasn’t really sure where that sudden piece of advice came from, but she thanked Elrena nonetheless. She guessed it must have been annoying for her in the original organization and the new one. After all, she’d only had Xion as the other girl.

“Thank you. Good luck with your search too. Whoever you’re looking for, you’ll find your way back to each other eventually. At least, that’s what I’m hoping.” Lauriam said looking slightly dejected as he went back to his search of the library. She gave one final look at the place, then started towards Roxas to the exit. With the book of fairy tales under her arm, Kairi and Roxas headed back towards Ansem’s study. She couldn't believe that out of all those books not one of them had any reference to keyblade wielders or anything remotely useful. Still their search wasn't a complete failure. Maybe she could borrow the book for a while. Reading it may awaken some sleeping memories buried deep within her.

***

It seemed the others had finished their investigations on Ansem’s computer when the pair arrived back from the library. Xion was absentmindedly spinning about on the wheeled desk chair until she spotted Roxas and Kairi and abruptly stopped. Just as well. It was making Kairi feel dizzy watching her spin round and round on the chair. Even and Ienzo were also still there, beside Ansem who was still looking at the screen. She set her book down on a desk on the other side of the computer and noticed a set of drawings scattered about. They were of buildings and landmarks like huge fountains and towers. They were very detailed, she thought as she suddenly recalled Namine’s affinity for drawing.

“Hey guys, did you find anything?” Xion asked them, bringing her back to the present.

“Not really no. We couldn’t see anything that was much help. But Kairi found an old book she used to read as a child and that’s something considering the number of books down there” Roxas said, joining her as he leaned against the wall. “What about you? Had any more luck than us?”

Ansem, bent over the computer screen, looked up to address the group. “You could say that. We’ve had a thorough look through Sora’s data. Most of it was what Ienzo had already discovered. That both your hearts used to reside within him at one point along with Ventus’. Although, saying that..” he continued as he stood up and started to pace about the room. “We found evidence that there was another heart within his for a short period of time. We couldn’t tell who this heart belongs to however…”

His voice became white noise in the background as Kairi considered what he had just said. As far as she was aware, hers was the only other heart that had been inside Sora for a time. He’d been protecting her from when the Islands fell to darkness and her near-lifeless body was under Riku’s care. She thought she should voice that fact to the group. It may help in some way.

“Ansem, I think that other heart was mine. I lost my heart when we lost our home to the darkness and it found its way inside Sora somehow. He released it by sacrificing himself with the keyblade made out of the remaining hearts from the six other princesses.” _History repeating itself._ She thought. _Sora sacrificing himself to save me, again._

He paused for a moment, stroking his beard in thought. “Ah. That would explain it then. You and Sora do share a powerful connection after all.” Kairi felt her face flush at that statement.

Ansem continued. “You say you have tried contacting Sora and searching through different worlds. Perhaps you should consider that Sora may not be in this realm anymore. There is the Realm of Darkness, the Realm of Sleep and even those in-between. It is very likely that Sora could be trapped in one of these realms and not our own Realm of Light. As for locating him however, I nor the others cannot be certain of how to achieve that. It would make sense that for someone to bring him back though, they’d have to have a very strong connection to his heart. It’s not a simple case of recompleting someone like we did with Roxas, Xion and Namine. Although that was difficult, for that we knew where their hearts resided. It is a different case for Sora. That was all we could decipher I’m afraid, I hope this helps you in some way. But I must warn you, you must not be rash. If Sora is trapped in one of these other realms, it would not do you any good in rushing off to who knows where without knowing what you are doing.” With that, he cast a side glance at Kairi. She was stubborn and had a track record for rushing into decisions and literally leaping through into another world to find her friends.

“Yes, although it would seem you three plus Ventus hold the strongest connections to Sora, this is simply a hypothetical theory we are suggesting. It would make sense that you all would hold the better chances of succeeding but we can’t guarantee anything or even how you would go about locating him. It may take a very specific and skilled power that would be hard to master. Please don’t go getting yourselves hurt.” Even pointed out.

The three looked dejected at what Ansem and Even had said. It was a start, and they had considered him to be within another realm, but the question still remained on how exactly they could pinpoint him and travel there and back safely. It seemed like every step forward they took, they just ended up taking another two back.

“Please don’t be discouraged.” Urged Ienzo. “We’ll do our best to try and research some more into possible locations. In the meantime, I’d suggest it may be of help if some of you return to the location you last saw Sora and work backwards. It may be of help to you.” He said with a smile.

She really didn’t want to go back to the Graveyard. No one did. But if it was the only option they had…

“It’s alright. We’ll all regroup at some point and put our heads together. Between all of us, we should be able to come up with a plan.” Xion said quite confidently.

And so it came time for them to leave. Even though they hadn’t really found out as much as she’d been hoping for, Kairi was still glad she had come. Before they set off to regroup with Axel and Isa, Kairi quickly turned to Ansem to ask him a final question.

“Um.. Ansem, while we were searching through the library, I came across this old book I swear I used to read as a child. I was wondering if it would be ok if I could borrow it for a while please? We thought it might help recover my missing childhood memories.” She said hesitantly, showing him the book.

He regarded it for a moment before giving her an answer. “Ah yes, I haven’t seen that in years. I’m surprised you found it. I remember you and Ienzo would read passages from that book to each other, it was quite sweet. You need not borrow it. It is yours to keep if you wish.”

“Really?!” Feeling a huge smile creep on her face. “Thank you so much! You’ve all been a great help, thank you again.”

“Our pleasure.” Ienzo answered her. Even and Ansem nodding in agreement. “If we discover anything else, we’ll be in touch. Safe journey home!”

The three bid the Castle’s dwellers farewell and met up with Axel and Isa near the entrance. She wondered what they had been up to all this time.

“Hey! Oh boy you guys all look exhausted. Tell ya what, you can tell us what happened on the way home ok? I think this calls for an ice cream break on the Tower!” Axel declared. She hadn’t realised how tired she had become. Looking through all those books and trying to understand everything from the day, she really was exhausted. She could feel Isa’s eyes bore into her, he obviously still wanted to talk to her. Right now, she was far too tired and hungry to care. Roxas opened up a corridor with ease and her group set through it back to Twilight Town, once again leaving her childhood home behind her.

***

_What a beautiful view… No wonder they come here every day as a tradition._

Ice cream reminded her of her training days with Axel. After a thorough days’ work, they’d also sit and watch the sunset at the edge of the forest.

She sat herself in between Roxas and Xion, with Axel on Roxas’ other side, and Isa next to him. There was still an unpleasant tension between the two as they had not spoken since that morning. All five of them sat watching the sunset, ice cream in hand, mulling over their day in Radiant Garden.

“You’ll have to give that book a read when you get back, Kairi. You never know, maybe if you start reading it, you’ll be able to remember some of your childhood?” Roxas said to her, as she watched his poor ice cream slowly slip off its stick in an almost slow-motion effect, right off and hurling towards the ground below.

“AAAAHHH!” Roxas almost screamed as he mourned his ice cream. “Oh come on! I hadn’t even eaten half of that! Why did it fall off so easily?” He actually looked pretty devastated.

“Ah just go buy another one, here. Take this.” Axel said, tossing him a small pouch of munny. “Xion, go with him will ya? I can’t bear to see what his face will look like if he drops another one.”

Roxas begrudgingly accepted it and muttered something under his breath that sounded something along the lines of ‘Just my fucking luck’.  As the two got to their feet and made their way towards the stairwell Kairi heard Xion say; “Hey, cheer up. We’ll have a funeral for it.”

Which left the three of them alone together in awkward silence.

_Great, now I’ll have to make petty small talk to him._

Axel, having already finished his ice cream in record time, blew out a huge sigh before looking to Isa and giving him a nudge with his elbow along with a dramatic clearing of his throat. Kairi simply looked in the other direction.

“Uh..” Isa began. “Kairi. Please can we talk? I just want to try and at least explain for my actions. You can decide whether you want to forgive me or not, I won’t blame you if you say no though. I wouldn’t forgive myself either.” He said, trailing off slightly.

Kairi rolled her eyes and turned to face the two. A thoroughly unimpressed look starting to form on her face. “Alright. Go on then, tell your tale of woe.” Was all she said. Axel sat back and let Isa talk, not wanting to interrupt him for once. He sat in silence as his friend began to speak.

“I know I’ve done some terrible things in the past. I was awful to you, to Sora, even to Axel who has been my friend for as long as I can remember. The truth is, well- I was jealous of him. There he is going off making new friends, forgetting me, forgetting our promise to each other as children.”

_Oh boo-hoo. How tragic._ She wanted to say. Although, she was intrigued by this promise he said they had made when they were younger. She let him continue.

“We must have been around fifteen, maybe sixteen years old at the time. It was getting boring for us living in a quiet world, nothing exciting going on in our lives. So what better way to add a little more fun into our lives than trying to break into Ansem’s castle? We just wanted to do it for the sheer thrill of it at first. Nobody was allowed inside without his or the guards permission. Of course, we were discovered and thrown out on several occasions, but one time we actually got inside. We felt like the biggest rebels in town. We explored the quieter sides of the castle, making sure we didn’t get caught by anyone. Only we ended up finding something- no, _someone_. Someone imprisoned within the castle.”

Ok, that had piqued her interest. Why would there be someone trapped inside the castle? Did Ansem know about it or was he responsible?

“We could never make out her features, it was far too dark. All that we could determine was that she was about our age and appeared to have a case of severe amnesia. We managed to talk to her, shortly becoming friends. And so, every time we would sneak into the castle, we would go straight to her. We weren’t interested in much else after discovering her all alone in what appeared to be a small, dark cell. She couldn’t tell us much about her past, but we would just sit and talk with her. It was the only comfort and company we could offer her. We then thought about trying to break her out, but to do that, we’d need to be in the castle near enough every day. Therefore, we decided to ask Ansem if we could become apprentices to him, ensuring we could gain access to the castle without having to sneak around all the time. But unfortunately, one time I went alone to speak with her, she had gone. Vanished without a trace. Shortly after, Xehanort turned on Ansem and we all became nobodies and a part of the first Organization. I manged to rise through the ranks fairly quickly despite only being number 7. I figured, perhaps Xehanort- or Xemnas, knew what had happened to her. I confess though, the power of being second in command rose to my head, and with the added sense that Axel had completely changed and forgotten why we had even gotten into this mess in the first place, I fell to my own kind of darkness. It was _I_ who had changed. And by doing so, I all but lost my sense of humanity, did terrible things to many people. For that, Kairi, I am truly, deeply sorry.”

The silence afterwards was deafening.

“Huh. You’re privileged Kai, Isa’s usually too proud to admit he was jealous or anything like that.” Axel said, breaking the silence and making her smile a little.

“Just don’t repeat any of that to anyone please. Uh.. Kairi?” Isa gave a slight tilt of his head, perhaps he wasn’t sure that she’d even been listening.

“Oh no, we can’t go abolishing your bad boy reputation now can we?” She answered him with a sly smile. He gave a breath of relief.

“So, it looks like we’re both searching for someone close to us. Axel too of course. We’re looking for our missing friend the same way you are.” He said to Kairi.

“Yeah. You’ll find her someday I’m sure. Then you can both show her the Town and invite her up here for ice cream.”

Isa gave a shy smile and nodded in agreement at her suggestion. “I’m sure she’d enjoy that. Thank you for listening to me. Do you think we could start afresh please?”

His story didn’t excuse his behaviour, and he had admitted that. But still, she felt as if the tension had finally started to diffuse between the two. He wanted to atone for his past mistakes. The way Axel, Roxas and Xion had befriended him had shown that. Maybe she could give the guy a chance.

Extending an arm to him, she shook his hand in mutual agreement. “Sure thing, Isa. I won’t tell anyone what you told me, just as long as you try not to lose yourself again ok?”

“Basically, don’t be a complete jackass to anyone.” Axel interrupted.

“Well, yeah that was where I was going with that but in a more polite way.”

“There is no polite way to tell someone that if they don’t behave themselves, you’ll set them on fire. Trust me.” Axel winked.

If Axel had told her earlier that day that she’d end up sympathising with Isa and understanding him better, she’d have laughed in his face and set herself on fire.

“It’s where we went before when you were with Ansem. We asked Aeleus and Dilan about our friend, we had a scout around where she used to be but couldn’t find any clues. They guys couldn’t remember her well anyway. And we’ve already asked Ansem and the others. They have no idea where she went or how she got out. I just hope she’d doing alright, wherever she is.” Axel said quiety.

Everyone was searching for someone. Herself, Axel and Isa, Lauriam and Elrena. All searching for that one special person. She hoped that one day, they’d all be reunited with their missing loved ones. For Sora’s sake, she’d keep trying to better herself with the keyblade.

 “Wonder whats taking those two so long.” Axel asked to no one in particular, changing the subject. “Come on, when you’ve finished your ice cream, lets had back to our place and we can order some pizza!”

***

Their place was on the third floor of a set of flats nearby Tram Common. Close to all the necessary shops and had a pretty view of the sunset from their main window. Axel had to give the door a bit of a shove as he opened it.

“Yeah. It’s a little stiff. We’ve had to use our keyblades to get in a few times because the door just got stuck. Don’t even know why we use these regular old keys to be honest.”

“Because not all of us can use keyblades, idiot.” Isa said as he strolled past Axel and went inside.

“You can borrow one of mine, Isa. I’m sure we could teach you how to open a door in no time.” Roxas said as he and Xion went in with Kairi and Axel behind them.

“I think I’ll pass on that offer.”

It was fairly spacious, with the amber glow of the sunset streaming in through the window, but that was probably because they hadn’t managed to set up much of their furniture yet. They had a big couch with a TV, a dining table and a shelf that looked like it would to fall apart at the slightest touch. There were still unpacked boxes laying here and there, along with some helium balloons still afloat that said things like ‘New Home’ and ‘Congratulations!’ on them. It showed how chilled out they were about the whole ‘moving in together thing’. But thinking ahead, they’d technically already lived together in the past, when they were in the original Organization.

“Um.. Sorry for the mess. We just haven’t got round to properly unpacking everything yet even though we’ve been here for a few weeks now. Our rooms are nicer, promise!” Xion said, trying to please her guest.

“Oh don’t worry about it. It looks like a nice place! It’ll be even nicer when you properly do it all up I bet.” Kairi answered her.

They heard a buzz signalling that someone was at the door.

“That was quick, I ordered these from the Bistro so they’re really tasty.” Axel said as he made his way to the door. “Me and Roxas will go get em, so sit down and get ready to dig in guys!”

*

Kairi felt as if she could burst she’d eaten that much. Axel was right though, it was delicious. They all sat around the dining table, thoroughly stuffed after their meal.

“Who got you those balloons anyway?” She asked.

“Oh, they’re from Hayner, Pence and Olette.” Roxas answered her. “Came around with them once we’d moved in on the first day. Funny actually, we all sat round and ate pizza then too.”

She could see a mischievous light in Axel’s eyes as he started to eye them up from across the room. He got up and brought one over before saying “Hey, watch this.” As he loosened the balloons tie and promptly began to suck the air from it.

Isa put a hand over his forehead, avoiding looking at him. “Oh, please don’t start.” He said as if he’d seen his friend do this before and wasn’t impressed with the result.

Axel ignored him though, instead, he puffed his chest out a little and began to walk about the room. Finally, he opened his mouth and the usual Axel voice was replaced with a squeaky doppelganger, as if he’d been possessed by an insane chipmunk.

“Good tidings friends!” He began in the squeaky voice. The drink that Roxas had been drinking came flying back out of his mouth in a spray as he started coughing from laughing. “I am pleased to announce that a new comrade has been chosen to wear the coat!” He continued as he stood behind Xion with a hand on her shoulder. Xion was already bent over laughing, leaning against the table as she continued in non-stop laughter. He then moved away from Xion and faced away from them all, raising his arms skyward as he shouted; “Look! Behold in the sky! My Kingdom Hearts!”

A bizarre snorting noise came from Kairi as she realised he was impersonating their old boss, Xemnas. She could no longer hold it in, and it just made everyone else in the room laugh even louder at her sudden snort noise. Isa was still holding his head in his hand, but his shoulders were shaking as if trying to stifle a laugh. Though she couldn’t see his face, she bet he was smiling underneath. Axel’s voice began to return to normal as he suddenly had another idea and pointed at Roxas.

“Hey, Roxas! Ask me who Sora is! Go on, say ‘Who is Sora?” He shouted, still holding the balloon in his hand.

“Who-.” Roxas stopped as he continued in his hysterics and had to take a breather. “Who is Sora?” he finally manged to ask.

And with that, Axel took another gulp of the helium and looked at Roxas with the most serious face she’d seen him wear as he said very matter of flatly and seriously in the squeaky voice; “The connection.”

That had finally set Isa off, he threw his head back and roared with laughter as poor Roxas shot water from is nose this time, spraying Xion in the face and leaving everyone, including Axel too this time in never ending hysterical fts of hilarity.

“Axel! My side hurts!” Kairi confessed as she too was bent double with tears in her eyes. She couldn’t remember the last time she had properly laughed like that. And she’d really needed it recently.

Finally, they all calmed down and although now had severe stomach pains and indigestion, it had definitely been worth it. After sitting around talking for some more, Kairi realised how late it was.

“I really should be getting back, Aqua will kill me if I don’t let her know I’m on my way!” She said, swiftly getting up from her seat and checking her Gummiphone.

“You could stay here for the night if you want to, we’ve got room for one more. It’s too late to be travelling back now anyway!” Xion suggested. Then taking a glance and Isa and Axel, “I mean, if that’s ok with you two?”

“Fine by me. But let them know you’re staying with us so they know where you are at least.” Isa said.

“Yep, that’s cool with me too. Just don’t sit up all night talking ok? Some of us need our beauty sleep!” Axel reminded them, giving his hair a dramatic flick with his hand.

“Yeah, and Axel needs all the beauty sleep he can get.” Roxas teased.

After sending Aqua a quick text on her Gummiphone and saying goodnight to the boys, she followed Xion into her room where she’d be staying the night.

“Uh.. My bed is kinda too small to share sorry. But I’ve got a sleeping bag. I’ll take that and you take the bed.” She said, fumbling in her wardrobe and pulling out an old sleeping bag. “I don’t mind, so before you start arguing saying ‘Oh no I’ll sleep in there’, its actually super comfy! Sure, it looks a bit tattered, but it does the job. Served me well when I was on the run from the Organization and had to hide in Twilight Town.” She said with a little hurt smile. Kairi didn’t press her anymore on that matter. It was clearly a touchy subject for her, so she gladly accepted the offer of the bed without quarrel. For the time being, she just set her new book down on the floor beside the bed along with her writing set from Xion and Roxas. She was far too tired to start reading or writing anything though.

“Thanks, Xion.” Kairi said sleepily. She gave a huge yawn and laughed in embarrassment. “I didn’t even realise how tired I was! You must be pretty done in too, what with working on Ansem’s computer and all.”

“A little.” She replied, going back into her wardrobe and throwing a pair of pyjamas on the bed. “You think these’ll fit you? We’re about the same size so I think they’ll be ok.” Kairi gave a nod and started to change as Xion told her what they’d done while she and Roxas had been looking in the library.

“It was complicated, but I figured out how to work it after a little experimentation. I’d forgotten that your heart had been inside Sora’s for a while. So many of us have shared his heart over the years, he’s kind like that I guess. I only got to talk to him briefly just before he went after Xehanort, but even from that super short conversation, I could tell what kind of a person he was. Or maybe that was because we’d shared a heart for a while. I don’t know.”

“Yeah. You reassured him I’d be okay didn’t you? Riku told me.” She sat upright on the bed as Xion got into her sleeping bag. “Thanks for that.”

“He needed reassurance. I don’t know how, but I could feel somewhere inside me that you’d be fine. Call it gut instinct or whatever, but I needed to tell him that. He looked like he could cry right there on the spot. His eyes were all puffy and red, I felt so bad for him.”

She also remembered Riku telling her how distraught he’d been when she’d been struck down. He’d sobbed and _screamed_. That hadn’t made her feel any better when it was still so raw, but Riku had only told her because she’d asked him to tell her everything that had happened after she’d been taken. So he did. Riku didn’t leave out anything, though it was tough on her, she needed to know exactly what had gone on, tears and all. Xion shuffled over to the wall and flicked the light off, immersing them in darkness.

“But, I also have that exact same feeling with Sora. Don’t know how, but I know he’s going to be alright. We’ll find him. We may not know how right now, but- I think you’re the person who can bring him back, Kairi. Like they said before, it will probably take someone with strong connection to him to bring him back.”

“You feel that in your gut too?” She asked.

“I think. Hard to tell. Right now, my gut just feels all bloated from the pizza.”

The girls shared a laugh together before finally saying goodnight and properly heading off to sleep. She was so glad she’d been able to get to know Xion at last. The two felt close already and it had only been one day. Her words had been reassuring, maybe that was what Xion was good at; empathising with people and reassuring them that everything would be ok in the end. And for that, she was grateful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Kairi is now an honorary member of the same salt fam OK that’s just how it is now
> 
> -It’s pretty much canon that Kairi writes since she wrote letters to Sora when training. So they got her that present to try and cheer her up. Bless these kids
> 
> -Roxas don’t ask Axel for tips on speaking to girls. He hasn’t got a fucking clue. *Mickey Mouse voice*: Axel you’re gay, get over it.
> 
> \- ruh-roh. Its the Kairi and Isa interaction. Roxas is probably silenting cheering ‘fight fight fight fight!’ While Xion and Axel just want everyone to chill tf out. 
> 
> \- Isa does want to apologise for everything. He just doesn’t really know how to at first. He's kinda scared of her because she's this 5 foot nothing princess that can go fucking feral at the drop of a hat
> 
> \- Aleus and Dilan do remember Kairi. They just didn’t recognise her at the gates hence why they didn’t say anything.
> 
> \- Yep, Roxas is still very salty about that part in Days where Lex just back hands him in the face. Iconic.
> 
> -Ah the whole Ansem thing. Look that would take a whole other fic for me to delve into the whole experimenting on people and ruining everyone’s lives. I would go deeper into his apology to Roxas and Xion and everyone but for this fic, its not necessary. Its Kairi’s story after all.
> 
> \- Babby Ienzo would definitely find comfort in hiding himself away in the library amongst all those books. Until Kairi found him and they started reading to each other. He felt a lot less shy around her and her grandma after that.
> 
> \- Even is just a dad. He’s a dad. He has like 3 kids and he loves them all very much. Maybe he could never have kids for some reason hence why he’s so found of Xion and Ienzo. Xion also thinks of him as a parental figure so win win
> 
> \- Hmmm. Yeah wonder where Braig is. Hmm. Does anyone know??? 
> 
> \- It’s the running joke in the sea salt fam that Roxas is terrible with computers. He’s too heavy handed that’s all
> 
> \- I feel like that 'you’re doing fine, stop worrying’ speech would have had the bigger impact if Roxas had said it to her. With him being so OP and all
> 
> \- Lauriam and Elrena remember bits of their past. Little flashes here and there but like Ven, they can’t remember the whole thing. Except Strelitzia although at the moment they can’t even recall her name or face. Just that she was his sister and something bad happened to her. They're trying to find anything that could spark a memory, kinda like Kairi is doing
> 
> \- They should make a club of amnesiacs searching for loved ones. Kairi is the president of said club
> 
> \- They probably already knew it was Sora who she was looking for, they were just too preoccupied to ask
> 
> \- Soras data didn’t really reveal much. So they’re literally just theorising at this point about where he could be and who can find him. Since they don’t know about the power of waking they didn’t bring it up as a theory. Don’t worry. Someone else will bring it up later ;)
> 
> \- Roxas: NOOO MY ICE CREAM!
> 
> Xion: F
> 
> \- Subject X/ Axel and Isa's friend is Skuld and I’ll eat my own foot if Nomura confirms later on that it’s not her.
> 
> \- Just to confirm, Kairi isn’t suddenly completely fine with Isa just because he apologised and explained himself because that’s not how life works. She’s just willing to give him a chance to be a better person and to start again with him. But she’s a lot more comfortable around him now and the awkward tension is gone. She may fully forgive him one day but for now, starting anew and getting along is just fine for them.
> 
> \- Axel+ helium= disaster. This guy’s fucking nuts
> 
> \- Xion, Kairi and Namine all share a connection with each other so they start to see each other than more than close friends. Rather more like sisters. They’re all completely different people but there’s a strong sisterhood there OK. About Namine, she’s coming soon. Don't fret c:
> 
> \- Also a heads up that the next chapter is another Disney world. You’ll Never guess which one ;)


	5. Faith and Trust

“Guess it’s just the two of us today.” Xion informed Kairi as she appeared in the doorway of the bedroom. “Roxas is out for the count on the couch.”

“Seriously? Is he ok? I know he likes to stay up late sometimes but still…”

Xion gave a little laugh. She made her way towards her wardrobe to fetch her bag as she explained. “Yeah Roxas gets like that sometimes. He just kinda has this mega fatigue slump and sleeps for most of the day. I blame his bad sleeping habits, but Axel thinks it could be due to all that pent-up power inside him. I mean- it usually happens after he’s been using the keyblade all day but sometimes he just completely zonks out.”

“Ah, I see.” Kairi answered. Poor Roxas. It must get tiring after a while using all that strength when he hadn’t really been trained how to use it properly.

Xion had asked Kairi earlier on if she wanted to visit a world with her. The plan had been to take Roxas too since Axel and Isa were going to be spending the day decorating and putting new furniture up. She had told Kairi that it was a beautiful place, she used to go there often as part of her missions when she was still in the Organization and had wanted to return for a proper look around. Axel and Roxas always seemed to have loads of fun there but Xion had barely gotten the chance to go with them, so had often missed out on their adventures.

“We should be back in plenty of time, but I’ve let the others know where we’re going just in case something crops up. Well, you ready then?” She asked with a smile, slinging her backpack over a shoulder with an excited grin on her face.

“You bet I am!” Kairi answered eagerly. New world exploration was slowly becoming the norm for her and each new place she visited sparked a sense of excitement and wonder in her heart. She could barely wait to discover this new place for herself!

*

They ended up in an area that resembled a dense jungle; huge trees, shrubbery and beautifully coloured flowers flanked them on both sides. Thick vines enveloped several of the trees as they wrapped around their trunks and hung from their branches, just enticing someone to come and swing on them. They could hear a variety of bird calls in the distance, although one of them sounded oddly like a rooster. That was different.

“Oh, look!” Xion said as she started in a different direction to where the trees started to thin. They emerged onto a small cliff edge where not so far in the distance, was a huge waterfall cascading down to a lagoon below with the most dazzling coloured rainbow shining overhead.

“This is a perfect photo opportunity! Heh, the guys will be so jealous that they missed this.” She said as she took a snapshot of the area with her gummiphone. Just as Kairi reached into her pocket to do the same, she realised with a groan of annoyance that she’d left her phone back in Xion’s room. Xion told her not to worry and offered that she would send Kairi any pictures she’d took to her phone as soon as they got back. They decided to press on through the jungle to see what they could find.

“Anything look familiar yet?” Asked Kairi.

“Umm... No not yet. I always ended up near the shore for some reason when I used to come here so I didn’t see much of the rest of the world.” She confessed.

_All the more reason for her to want to come back then_. She thought. She wondered if they’d meet the people that lived here just like when her and Aqua had helped the Village folk on that beautiful island. The thought was abruptly cut off though as they noticed a familiar looking blonde boy sat against a tree trunk looking a little lost and confused.

“Wait… Ven?” Kairi asked aloud, sounding just as confused as Ven looked.

He jolted upright when he heard Kairi’s voice and gave a smile when he noticed who was there.

“Oh! Kairi, Xion! Hey! What are you two doing here?” He asked as he sprang up to his feet with little effort.

“We could ask you the same thing!” Xion answered. “We’ve only just got here ourselves, I used to come here a lot on Organization missions and wanted to come back with Kairi.”

“Ahh right. Well, I’ve only been to this world once a long time ago, but I made some really good friends and I’m hoping they’re still around. But uhh.. I wasn’t really paying attention to where I was going and I think I’ve just been going in circles for the last hour and now I’m a little lost...” He said with a bashful look on his face.

Kairi and Xion exchanged looks for a moment. “I’m sure if we all go together, we’ll find your friends eventually!” Kairi offered. “Come on, we’ll try heading this way. It looks less dense and harder to get lost in-Hopefully.” She pointed in a North-East direction that looked more open than the rest of the jungle. Xion and Ven each gave a nod of agreement and the three set off in hopes of finding Ven’s old friends.

***

Leaving the denser area of the jungle behind them, they carried on through Neverland, hoping that either Ven or Xion would recognise something. Maybe the land had changed a little since Ven was last there, it had been well over 10 years after all. And would his friends even recognise him too? Ven hadn’t aged a day in all those years but surely his other friends would have.

“I think I know where we are.” Ven said, looking around. “If I can remember right, there should be a big twisted tree around here somewhere and that’s where-”

“YAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!”

“ATAAACKKKK!!!!”

A whole array of voices cut Ven off as they were immediately surrounded by several young, screaming boys with slingshots, all poised to fire at the trio.

“Woah!” Kairi ducked out of the way as a boy dressed like a fox charged at her firing rocks from his slingshot.

“Get em!!” He yelled, leading the attack on Kairi and her friends. Xion stood there dumbfounded for a moment, probably a little stunned at the fact that she was under attack in a jungle clearing by crazy boys dressed as animals. She quickly dodged an attack from a boy dressed as a bear before yelling back at them “Hey! What’s wrong with you all?!”

Ven began to chase after the boys shouting something at them. It sounded like he was desperately trying to reason with them. Kairi and Xion had other ideas. She didn’t care if they were only boys, if they were attacking them for no good reason then she’d fight back too.

Summoning her keyblade to her hand, she assumed an attacking stance and snarled “Hey! Stay back!” She began with a warning that if they didn’t stop, she’d strike. Xion summoned hers in turn, ready to attack.

That seemed to do the trick. One of the other boys, this time dressed like a rabbit, stopped dead in his tracks and yelled “Wah!! Retreat!!!”

Heeding his warning, the remainder of their attacking party; two boys that looked like racoons and a particularly small one that looked like a skunk, also started shouting and running about the place. From nearby, Kairi heard Ven call to the two others.

“Stop! It’s me! Don’t you remember me?!”

These were Ven’s friends? They didn’t seem very friendly…

The commotion was brought to a stop as a different boy; all dressed in green, swooped in from the sky demanding what all the fuss was about.

“Woah what’s going on here? What’s all the ruckus?” The new boy asked as he alighted down to address his friends. Clearly, he must have been their leader figure of the group, as soon as he began to speak, the other boys stopped running about and fell silent.

“They’re intruders!” The two raccoon boys said in unison.

“Yeah! They could be pirates!” Agreed the fox boy.

Kairi and Xion exchanged a confused look. Pirates? Sure, when you looked at the three of them, they definitely looked the definition of pirate.

Ven came running to the boy in green, panting as he bent over and rested his hands on his thighs.

“Peter! Its only me! Ventus! I know it’s been a while but uhh…” He struggled to finish the sentence.

The boy in green regarded him for a moment, then looked at Kairi and Xion. They put their keyblades away to show they were no threat.

“Ventus! I remember you! I knew you’d come back one day! Hey guys, come over here, it’s alright!” He called to the other boys.

“Oh yeah Ven! I remember now!” The bear boy said.

“I missed you Ven!” Said the fox boy.

“Heh heh..” He anxiously rubbed the back of his head with his hand. “Sorry we startled you. But you didn’t have to go and attack us like that!”

The group apologised, laying down their weapons in a truce. Perhaps Kairi had been rash to summon her keyblade but she didn’t want to assume they were no threat at first. She and Xion also apologised for scaring them.

“Oh right. These are my friends; Kairi and Xion.” He said, gesturing to the pair.

“Hi!” They both said, trying to get off on the right foot with them this time.

“Nice to meetcha!” The others responded.

“Sorry about them, my name’s Peter. Peter Pan.” The boy in green began. He then gestured to the other boys in turn. “And this is Slightly, Cubby, Nibs, The Twins and Toodles.”

Ven regarded them for a moment. “Ah you guys weren’t here when I last visited. Just call me Ven!” He smiled at the boys dressed as raccoons, the rabbit and the skunk.

Kairi felt a lot more at ease now that everyone was acting friendly towards each other. This must have been a unique world where people never grew older, hence why Ven immediately recognised his friends. They sure had a lot in common.

Peter cleared his throat and the Lost Boys fell into line, standing to attention.

“Right then men! It seems you’ve done a good job of protecting the hideout, maybe next time check to see whether they’re pirates before you attack though ok?” He turned to Toodles and The Twins. “It’s your turn to guard the hideout today boys! I know you’ll do great as always!”

The boys saluted him and shouted; “We sure will!” before heading into the jungle where Kairi presumed their hideout was. It made sense for some to be on guard there while the others where elsewhere. As they headed off, she noticed a small light flying towards them, getting brighter and brighter as it flew straight to Peter. It was a fairy. The little fairy hopped about excitedly as she whispered something in Peter’s ear to which he nodded and responded “Uh-huh, “Ok” and “That sounds fun!” as she spoke to him.

“What’s Tink saying, Peter?” Cubby asked him.

A mischievous smile appeared on Peter’s face as he turned to the group to announce whatever the fairy had told him.

“Tink says she heard a rumour from the Indian Camp about a magical flower that grants wishes somewhere here on the island! Why don’t we go and find it?!”

The boy’s eyes lit up at the prospect as they all shouted “Yeah Yeah Yeah! Like a treasure hunt!”

Xion approached Ven and Kairi and quietly muttered; “They sure seem excited. Do you think we should go too?”

Kairi and Ven gave an eager nod. Finding a magic wishing flower seemed like fun! Before they got the chance to ask, Peter had already begun to ask them about joining him.

“Say, you guys wanna come too? It’ll be fun with more people!” The inpatient pixie must have wanted to start the search right away as she began tugging on Peter’s hair, urging him to get going.

“Alright alright we’ll go in a minute, Tink!” He said as he gently brushed her aside. “Girls, this is Tinkerbell. She lives with me and the Lost Boys too, but she can get pretty weird around other girls but don’t mind her! You remember Ven right Tink?” He asked her.

Tinkerbell gave an excited nod at seeing an old friend of hers. She then flew up to inspect Xion and then Kairi, fluttering about them both, possibly sussing out if they were going to be any trouble on their journey. She seemed very interested in Kairi for some reason as she hovered about her for much longer than she had with Xion, scratching her head and making a very confused face. She suddenly seemed to have a flash of inspiration as her expression turned surprised and she flew back to Peter, tugging on his hair again and saying something that only he could understand.

“Huh? You recognise Kairi?” He asked her as he then regarded her just as Tinkerbell had. “Oh, I see what you mean! Yeah! I recognise her too! Don’t know how though…” He scratched his head in confusion.

Kairi was just as confused as them. “You know me? But I’ve never been here before…” She saw Ven and Xion looking as equally puzzled as her, looking from Kairi to Peter, then back again. This ‘People recognising Kairi when she didn’t even know them’ thing was starting to become a regular occurrence. Radiant Garden, she understood. She’d been born there after all so that’s why Ansem and the others knew her but here? Why did Peter and Tinkerbell seem to know her? It was all very odd.

“Hmmm… I’m not sure where I’ve seen you before Kairi, but I don’t forget a face. Oh well. I’m sure it’ll come back to me soon! Now come on guys, let’s go find ourselves a magic flower!” He proclaimed as he led the way out of the jungle with Kairi, Xion, Ven and the Lost Boys in tow.

_A magic flower that grants wishes…_ Kairi thought to herself.

_I wonder._

***

Peter’s Rag-tag team of Lost Boys and Keyblade Wielders eventually came to a stop just past the jungle. The trees and plants had thinned out a little and rock formations had started to appear on their side. She wasn’t exactly sure why they had stopped here of all places, there didn’t seem to be any sign of magic flowers about, just the regular berry bush here and there.

“Right!” Peter said as he turned to face his crew. “Tink tells me that the flower should be up on that big mountain over there.” He pointed in the direction of a large and steep looking cliff face, not quite a mountain but extremely tall nonetheless. How where they supposed to climb up to the top? It would take all day and all night to reach the top and climb down again. Kairi felt her shoulder sag. She didn’t mind heights, but the thought of the steep climb made her feel exhausted.

“But uh… Its awful high up...” Cubby said nervously.

“Yeah.” Agreed Nibs. “What if we fall and get hurt?”

Peter and Tinkerbell simply laughed at the boys.

“Don’t worry, that’s why we’re going to have a practice flight! Oh! And we gotta show Xion and Kairi the ropes too. They’ve never flown before after all.” He said with an enthusiastic grin at the girls.

“Wait-You mean anyone can fly here?” Kairi suddenly asked, eyes gleaming.

Ven gave her a nod. “Yup! It’s been a while for me so I can’t really remember how to, but sure! Anyone can fly!”

Xion looked just as amazed as her friends. “Roxas told me that him and Axel had flown here before. I thought they were just teasing with me though. Could you show us how to please?” She was nearly buzzing with the excitement of it all.

Peter gave a nod to Tinkerbell, who seemed to know exactly what to do. She flew around the boys, covering them in a sparkling dust, and they slowly began to rise up into the air.

“See? It’s easy!” Slightly grinned at them from above.

“Sure is! All you need is a little faith, trust and pixie dust.” Cubby added.

“Oh, and don’t forget the happy thoughts too!” Nibs reminded them.

It was that easy huh. She guessed she could give it a good try. Tinkerbell then flew over to her, Xion and Ven, scattering pixie dust around their bodies, although some of it went up Kairi’s nose, making her sneeze so hard she blew off the ground entirely. Everyone burst out laughing, making her feel a little embarrassed but still glad that she’d managed to get off the ground.

Although not by much though, she realised as she watched Ven and Xion gather momentum and height with ease and clumsily bumping into each other and giggling all the while. Kairi had only managed to get a couple of feet off the ground while everyone else were way up ahead of her, flying and gliding on the warm air currents up above. Ven looked like he was a natural, gracefully swooping out of one of the boy’s way and giving a hand to Xion to help with her balance. She tried to gain more height by any means that she could though felt like she was just running on air, getting nowhere. Discouraged, she began to sink back to the ground again, her chest feeling heavy. Again, another thing that seemed to come naturally to everyone else but something she struggled at.

Seeing that Kairi was in need of help, Ven slowly glided down to meet her.

“I don’t think I can do this… maybe you guys should go on ahead and look for the flower, I’ll only slow you down.” She confessed dejectedly.

Ven alighted down in front of her and carefully took her hands in his.

_So familiar… This touch…_

“You’re way too hard on yourself, Kairi. Terra and Aqua agree too. Sometimes, it’s okay to have a little guidance. Let me help you.”

He lifted off the ground with ease, taking Kairi with him. Together, they slowly began to gain height. Kairi gripped onto Ven’s hands as she looked down and realised how high they were getting. Ven gave her a reassuring glance, making her smile a little.

A sudden gust came by, giving them more height and speed as they ascended in the warm air. She relaxed her grip on Ven as they faced each other, letting the air gather beneath them as it and the pixie dust’s magic helped them float along. As she started to relax more, she found herself laughing along with Ven, still hand in hand, feeling completely weightless and free. Feeling, _happy._

Now she remembered.

She was lost in the darkness, probably the only one who had survived the demon tide attack somehow. And then she’d heard Sora’s voice calling to her. Her heart skipped a beat and they joined hands and floated along with ease as two lights in the vast darkness.

Letting go of him, she turned on one side and said “See? I had no doubts you’d pull through.” How could she have ever doubted him? He _always_ managed to pull through. Just like she had always believed in him.

He grinned from ear to ear. “I feel strong with you, Kairi.”

Not exactly sure how to respond to that, she turned her face away from him, feeling it starting to get warm. That was something coming from him, he actually felt stronger when he was with _her_. The rookie wielder who could only just hold herself against a horde of heartless. She brushed her hand against his and held onto it again. They were strong together. Though the uncertain battle loomed ahead of them, that short space in time in which they had found each other in the darkness was one of her happier memories. As odd as that was to admit to herself.

“Kairi! Woah! Come down a little you don’t need to go that high!” Ven’s concerned voice cut through her mini daydream, bringing her back to reality, and the reality of how high up she had managed to fly. She’d somehow, without even realising, gotten past even Peter who was nearly touching the clouds. Her happy thought must have helped propel her up that high, she thought. Sora would have been proud.

“Oh! Oops! Hold on I’ll come down!”

Flight had suddenly become so much easier, she glided down to meet the others in one graceful motion and without bumping into anyone.

“That was amazing, Kairi! I saw Ven go over to help and thought I should stay away. But then you were floating up so easily without any help!” Xion said with glee. She and the others actually looked very impressed with her, and she was feeling pretty impressed with herself too.

Feeling a little overwhelmed with the praise, she simply gave everyone a quick ‘thank you’ before Peter stepped in again to let the team know the next move.

“Yeah you sure did great there, Kairi! Now that you’re all comfortable with flying, how about we carry on and reach the top of the mountain! We’ll be the first in all of Neverland to have our wishes granted!”

***

Flying, as it turned out, was a much faster way of getting around than walking. It didn’t seem like they had travelled very far when they reached the base of the ‘mountain’. It looked intimidating to climb, let alone fly up it as they craned their necks up to try and see the top. But she was sure that they could all do it, after all, if any of them faltered or felt scared, they would always have someone to help them along.

Peter suddenly snapped his fingers and gave a loud ‘Ah ha!’

“That’s where I remember you from, Kairi! You were on Hook’s ship that time with Wendy. Me and Tinkerbell had gone to rescue her from the Pirate Ship but there was another girl there too, it was definitely you! Oh, and that’s where we met Sora wasn’t it Tink? Said he was looking for his two best friends. There was a kinda angry guy with silver hair and then there was you as well. Although, you didn’t look very well at all. Almost as if you weren’t really there ya know?”

Kairi must have had the most confused look on her face as everyone turned to see her reaction.

“Wha- But, I’ve never been here…” She began, then, as she thought back, she remembered it must have been the time when she had lost her heart and Riku had been protecting her body. He must have taken her to this world whilst travelling alongside Maleficent in hopes of recovering her heart. She couldn’t remember a thing, Riku had told her this a while ago when they had been reunited on the Islands again after he and Sora had fought Xemnas.

“Well, I guess that kinda makes sense. It would explain why you wouldn’t know either since you were pretty much completely unconscious for the whole thing right?” Xion asked her.

“Mm.” Kairi agreed. So many things she didn’t know about. And so many things other people seemed to know about _her._ It was starting to irk her a little.

“Say…” Peter started to ask as he looked around, as if searching for someone. “Where is Sora anyway? He was a good friend. Is he doing ok?”

There was an awkward yet sort of sad kind of silence that followed his question. Kairi avoided looking at anyone and turned her glance to the ground below instead. Luckily, Ven answered for them.

“He’s um… he’s missing at the moment. Something happened and no one can find him. We’re not even sure exactly where to look for him too.” Ven said as he also began to find the floor very interesting. Maybe he felt a little helpless too, with him sharing such a close connection to Sora and yet not being able to do anything about his disappearance.

“Oh.. I’m really sorry guys. I hope you find him.” Peter said with an unusual remorse for someone who always seemed so cheerful.

“Us too.” The Lost Boys said. And even Tinkerbell gave a sad nod too.

The mood had taken a sudden turn for the worse. They needed to press on, it would be no use in dwelling on his disappearance and making everyone upset. They had wanted to go on an adventure after all. She needed to get everyone back on track.

“Uh… Right. You think the flower is right on top of this mountain? Well then, lets fly up and see if it really does exist.” Kairi said, trying to lighten the mood and stop herself from getting upset again. Luckily, that seemed to do the trick as Peter, Tinkerbell and the Lost Boys all looked rearing to go.

“Yeah! What are we waiting for? Let’s go!” Peter shouted, leading the way up the steep cliff.

_Happy thoughts, come on, happy thoughts will make you fly higher._

Just as she was about to follow, she felt a small squeeze of her hand. Xion stood beside her along with Ven.

“You did good there.” Was all Xion said.

It was all she needed to say.

Kairi gave the two of them a determined nod, as the three of them began the steep ascent up to the summit.

***

They flew higher and higher, until even the tallest trees of Neverland looked like tiny bushes below them. Ven who was the most confident flier of the trio, took the lead, with Kairi following behind and Xion bringing up the rear, occasionally holding on to Kairi’s ankle to help balance herself. Finally, they reached the top and eagerly began searching for the flower. They weren’t even sure what they were looking for though. They didn’t know its colour, shape or size. Luckily, after a few short minutes, the Lost Boys began shouting excitedly for everyone to come and see what they’d found.

Sure enough, A single, violet coloured flower that resembled something in between a tulip and a rose, was in bloom right in the centre of the summit. If she was being completely honest, she didn’t even think anything would be up there, so was pleasantly surprised at their discovery.

Slightly pushed his way to the front of their small crowd yelling “I wanna make a wish first! I wanna wish for cake! Lots and lots of cake!”

“Hey no fair!” Cubby whined. “I was gonna wish for that too…”

“Magic flower! I wish for gold and jewels! Um.. please?” Nibs butted in.

Peter called for order at the sudden raucous the boys were causing. Kairi and the others let them have their little fight, best not to get involved.

“Hold up! Everyone can get a wish but take it in turns ok?” He ordered. “You’re gonna confuse it with all that noise. Let me try asking.” Saying this, he crouched down beside the flower with Tinkerbell at his side and started his wish. “Magic flower! I wish for all the treasure in the world!”

The flower did not respond. Nor did any treasure suddenly appear before Peter.

“Uh… Flower?” Peter then started poking it. “Did you not hear me?” He turned around to his friends. “Anyone else want to try? Maybe it didn’t like my wish?”

Perhaps this was their cue to try wishing for something, but Kairi wasn’t too keen on voicing hers aloud to everyone. She took a glance at Xion and Ven, who again, didn’t seem very keen either.

“Try again.” Xion urged the Lost Boys with a smile. But no matter how many wishes they tried, nothing happened. It was just an ordinary flower on top of a very high peak. Nothing magical about it in the slightest.

“Aw that’s a bummer. Guess it was just a rumour after all. Sorry guys.” Peter apologised.

The poor boys looked so disappointed, she wished the flower would just break out and do a silly dance or something, just to cheer them up. She saw Ven regard them all one by one, thinking of something to say to lift their spirits.

“Ah its ok guys. So it was just a rumour. Didn’t you still have fun getting here though? I mean, I bet you’ve never had to fly this high before right? You should all be proud of yourselves!”

_Trust Ven to say just the right thing._

The boy’s dismayed looks turned brighter when realising this. Peter also looked very proud of them all. Maybe he’d known all along that there was no such thing as a wishing flower, perhaps he’d just made it up just to get the boys to test their courage and go on an adventure. Or maybe he was just as naïve as all of them.

“Yeah, you’re right, Ven! It sure was fun!” They all cheerfully replied.

She was happy that Ven had been able to meet his old friends again. And that she’d been able to hang out with him and Xion together. The whole day had been really fun, she’d been able to just relax and take in the sights without worrying about her training and just be with her friends. Even when thoughts of Sora had upset her, she’d managed to turn them around to happy memories of just the two of them together. Their happiest memories were still to come, she was sure of that.

“Well, we better get going guys. It’s been a great day! Maybe we’ll see you all soon?” Xion suggested.

Peter grinned back at her. “Yeah! Bring more of your friends next time, I mean, when you find Sora that is. Oh and Ven! You gotta bring your other friends along too! Uhh… Terra and Aqua was it?”

“Well remembered.” Ven laughed.

And with that, and a promise to return one day with all their friends, the trio waved goodbye to Peter, Tinkerbell and the Lost Boys and started back for home. They needed to be well out of everyone’s way before they opened up a corridor, world order, and all that.

It was a shame that flower had just been a regular old plant, even if it did seem impossible, she would have wished for Sora to be back home and safe with them. She guessed they’d just have to keep searching, keep hoping, even. She should check in with Riku and the King some time to see if they’d made any progress. Even so, she figured if they had already, that they’d have already told her.

Ven opened up a corridor leading back to Twilight Town in a secluded area of the forest. Just before they all stepped in, he turned to Kairi.

“I guess we were all wishing the same thing then huh? I’m going to keep searching. I’ll search all the worlds one hundred times over if I have to, don’t you worry.”

Xion nodded in agreement with Ven. They were all going to help.

“Thank you. We just need to have a little faith, right?” Kairi said with a twinkle in her eyes.

Belief was a powerful thing. She knew that first-hand.

 

***

After returning to Twilight Town with the girls, Ven told them he was heading back with Terra and Aqua, saying he’d let them both know if Kairi wanted to stay another night in Axel’s place. He waved them off as he travelled through another corridor back to his home.

They’d seemed to have arrived back earlier than expected so were just in time for dinner. Dinner was not the first thing that greeted them as they opened the door to the apartment, however. More so a very loud bang sounding like something heavy falling over, followed by an equally loud and angry Axel yelling “Ah shit!”

Concerned yet also amused, the girls followed the source of the yelling to the main room where they found a large shelf laying broken in four different pieces on the floor and Axel clutching his hair with a frantic look on his face. Isa and Roxas were standing a few feet behind him, trying to contain their laughter.

Axel whipped his head around to them, shouting “It’s not fucking funny guys! That thing nearly landed on top of me!!”

“Oh dear. That would have been a real shame.” Isa snidely remarked.

Xion cleared her throat to try and let the boys know they had returned from their trip. And also to try and distract Axel from beating up his best friend for laughing at him.

“Oh, hey. Welcome back, guys. You have fun? Neverland is great huh? Did you get to fly this time?” Axel eagerly quizzed the two on their day. He had done a complete 180 in the span of about two seconds, no longer looking like he’d blow up from fury thankfully. Kairi had no time to tell him about their adventure though as Roxas called her over to come and look at something. He led her into Xion’s room where she found her phone she’d left behind that morning lying on the bed.

“It’s been beeping and calling like crazy all day! I didn’t want to look at it without you here but whoever it is, it seems urgent.”

Kairi’s heart jumped into her mouth as she frantically grabbed the gummiphone. Maybe it was Riku telling her that they’d made some progress and knew where to find Sora. The screen displayed multiple missed call messages from a contact she didn’t know, followed by a message from the same contact. Curious, she opened it up to read.

_Hi Kairi, hope I’ve got the right number for you. It’s Namine! I’m using Ienzo’s gummiphone at the minute while he makes me one of my own. I know its sudden, but can we meet soon please? I really need to talk to you about something. I think it might be useful in trying to find Sora. Please message me back when you can!_

_-Namine_

“It’s from Namine!” Kairi nearly shouted into Roxas’ ear. She’d forgotten he was standing so close to her. It was reassuring to finally hear from her after all this time. She was her own person now thanks to Ansem, Ienzo and everyone else at the castle. No longer slumbering in Kairi’s own heart but free to do as she pleased as a real person. As odd as it sounded, she’d really missed her. Despite her being inside Kairi’s own heart for a while, she felt like now she could finally talk to her properly, not just in her head like she’d do some nights after training when she didn’t want to bother Axel. Now they could speak face to face, as they had done briefly inside the Castle That Never Was that seemed so long ago. And if she might have a lead on Sora…

“You better message her back then. I’m guessing you wanna stay here again tonight?”

“If that’s ok with everyone.”

“They’ll be fine, dinner should be ready in a few minutes. As soon as Axel has stopped whining about that shelf I mean.” He said with a grin.

Kairi laughed and followed Roxas back into the main room where they had eaten the previous night. Poor Axel, it didn’t seem like he was very gifted at DIY. Kairi would speak to Namine after she had eaten. She hadn’t realised how flying around all day could make someone so hungry. But for now, she let herself relax with everyone as she and Xion told the others about their adventure in Neverland.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -I mean, the title kinda gave the world away there fgydhusijdf. One more Disney world left now.  
> \- I just wanted a Sora heart squad day out but thought 4 characters was a bit too much especially when there was already the Neverland gang which was a team of 4. Well. 7 but again, too many characters. So Roxas gets to stay in bed   
> \- I wanted to go into Kairi's self doubt/belief a little more hence why I picked this world. Also just so there could be more characters go "Hey, I know you!" and confuse her even more. Sorry Kai.  
> -Listen, our girl has been through a lot. If she sees a threat she gotta FIGHT. She don't care if they're little kids SHOW NO MERCY  
> \- Ven is mostly associated with the element of air so he'd naturally be the best flyer out of the group   
> \- Kairi isn't exactly full of happy thoughts at the moment. Nothing to do with potential skill or anything, she just couldn't find a strong happy thought to get herself into the air. Ven totally kicked off that memory with him sharing a resemblance to Sora. Cue happy daydreams!  
> \- Tbh, I'm not 100% sure if Peter properly saw Kairi on the ship. But for argument's sake, lets say he did. It makes for a nice KH1 callback if anything   
> \- Was the flower bogus or was it really magical? You decide on that one ;)  
> \- I'd like to think that Kairi is starting to feel a little more confident about her abilities after this world. She's been very doubtful and insecure lately but after realising how powerful her beliefs are, she's finally starting to 'see the light' if you would.  
> \- Axel DIY fail. He swears like a trooper when he's mad and he 100% would if Disney wasn't involved in KH  
> \- I said Namine would come up soon :D She's going to be very important in kicking off the Sora search. You'll see.  
> \- Ienzo did give Kairi his gummiphone details but she just forgot to put them in her own phone which is why it came up with 'unknown contact'. Nami needs her own phone dammit.


	6. A lead

_Twilight Town is so bustling today._

The tram common area was full of life; People everywhere, going about their day, buying various things at the little shops dotted around town, school children playing with their friends, so many people about. So many with their own lives, their own dreams. She quite enjoyed people watching occasionally, it was interesting to see the different kinds of characters that made up this world. She was waiting near the item shop for Naminé to meet her since they’d agreed to meet at the Bistro. Naminé hadn’t been to Twilight Town in a good while and was eager to see it again. She thought it would be wise to get a table sorted before it became full, but it was already so busy and it had only just turned evening, the Bistro’s busiest time of the day according to Roxas. She hastily walked across the street, watching for trams all the while, and sat at an empty table outside. Checking her phone for the time, she realised that Naminé should have been here by now…

“Hey Kairi.”

“Woah!” Kairi nearly jumped out of her seat as she spun round to see the face that had called her name. Sure enough, there was Naminé, standing behind her with that familiar gentle smile on her face.

“I didn’t even hear you approach!” Kairi said as she stood up from her seat to properly greet her.

“Ha ha, sorry about that! I’ve been told off for that in the Castle too. No one ever hears me coming. It’s quite funny though seeing Ansem deep in thought and then getting the fright of his life when he sees me suddenly standing nearby.”

Kairi didn’t mind. She was just happy to see her again. The last time they had properly saw each other was back in The World That Never Was. And yet here she stood now, as her own person at last. She could finally experience the world herself and not through Kairi’s heart. She was so happy for her, she just wanted to give her the biggest hug in the world. So that’s exactly what she did. Luckily, Naminé returned the gesture right back.

“I’ve really missed you.” Naminé quietly said.

She let her head rest on Naminé’s shoulder. “I missed you too.”

So, she had been missing Kairi as much as Kairi had missed Naminé. That gave her a huge relief. Perhaps it was because of their connection to each other. Even though Naminé was her own person now, she had still come from Kairi and was still technically her nobody exactly like how Roxas was Sora’s. Their bond was a strange yet close one. Sisterly, was what Kairi would describe it as.

She returned to her seat and Naminé took up the one opposite her on their small table. Menus were already set out in front of them, but they didn’t concern themselves with ordering anything in that moment.

“I’m glad you’ve been liking living in Ansem’s castle. We must have just missed each other the other day, I went up there with Roxas, Xion, Axel and Isa to talk to everyone. I was… Well, I was hoping they could try and give us any direction on where to start looking for Sora, but they couldn’t help that much.” Again, she felt that sinking feeling in her stomach. It felt like her heart was sinking into a pool of deep, inescapable water. She had to have a lead on Sora soon, she was starting to fear that this sadness may eventually start eating her up from the inside if she did nothing about it.

Naminé nodded in understanding. “They’re doing all they can Kairi, trust me. But here, let me tell you why I wanted to speak with you in the first place, as great as it is to see you again that is, I needed to let you know something that suddenly came back to me a few days ago.”

Kairi leaned in a little further, propping her hand underneath her chin, ready to listen to whatever Naminé had remembered.

“It’s probably going to sound a little weird. But, here goes.” She started.

“I think it started when you were all in the Graveyard. I was still in your heart at that point, but that changed when you were all attacked by that huge wave of heartless. The sheer power of it must have cast me out of your heart and into a strange place I’d never seen before. I didn’t feel, well… I didn’t feel like _me_ if that makes sense. As if wherever I had ended up, not all of me had made it. I was there but, not there. Anyway, I had nowhere to go. I wasn’t even sure how to leave that place really. It seemed like I was just stuck there. There were others there too, but I didn’t know what they looked like. I could only hear their voices. Some sounded frightened, others at peace. But as I listened to their voices, that’s when I-”

“Och, hello there, lassies! I’m very sorry for the hold up. What cannae be getting you te eat then?” A sudden voice interrupted Naminé’s tale as the girls looked around for the source of it. Beside their table stood a duck wearing a top hat and a blue coat. Actually, now that she looked at him, he looked an awful lot like Donald. She wondered if they were related.

“Oh! Uhh… Well, I um..” The sudden question had caught her off guard. They hadn’t even had a chance to look at the menu.

“Chocolate cake please.” Naminé answered the duck.

“Aye what a good choice! What kind would ye like now? We have regular milk, dark or white chocolate.”

Kairi felt a smile break on her face. It seemed Naminé shared Kairi’s love for chocolate too.

“I’ll have a dark chocolate cake please. You want one too Kairi?”

“Uh-huh. Could I have milk chocolate please?” She politely asked him. He must have been the waiter of the Bistro.

“Of course, lassies! I’ll have them out for ye in a jiff!” And with that, he took their two menus and waddled off inside to place their orders.

“Right uh… Where was I?”

“You seemed trapped in this place, you could hear lots of people talking or something?” Kairi said, trying to get her back on track.

“Ah, yeah that’s right. So, I could hear all these different people. But then I could have sworn I heard Sora. And it _was_ him. He had made it to that place too. Although he looked different. I could actually see him but he wasn’t all there, like some of him looked normal but some looked transparent? Anyway, it seemed like he was stuck there too, and we talked for a while. I figured he must have kept hold of his appearance there because someone was still holding him together. Unlike the rest of us, who were just figments of stars, like specks of dust. I told him that he had managed to survive the attack because of you, you were keeping him together in that place, stopped him fading away.”

All she had done was believe in him. She hadn’t thought her sheer willpower would ever be strong enough to keep someone from fading away, and yet, she had somehow managed that. By keeping Sora tethered to the Realm of Light, she had also inadvertently kept everyone else from fading too. She must remember that more often. She _had_ played an important role in the war.

Naminé continued. “Eventually, he managed to make his way out of there, find and restore everyone who had been lost, and make it back to the Realm of Light with your help of course. Basically, what I’m trying to say is…” Naminé leaned in closer and almost whispered, “I think that’s where he could have ended up. He might be trapped in that strange world again only this time, he’s been unable to get himself out.”

The silence that followed was almost deafening. Time seemed to stop completely.

It had drowned out the noise of the streets, the people talking, the tram going by. Nothing else mattered apart from what Naminé had just said. So many thoughts whirled about in her head all at once, like a mad hurricane. _Of course._ It was the only option that made any inkling of sense. It fitted into what Ansem had said about the possibility of Sora being between worlds, or rather, not in a world accessible in the Realm of Light.

“- Spoke about it and dubbed it ‘The Final Place’ or ‘The Final World’. He couldn’t decide on one name for it but they’re all looking into it as we speak, and I think they’re going to try and figure out a way in- Kairi? You ok? You’ve uh… you’ve gone really pale…”

She hadn’t even realised Naminé had started speaking again. She felt dizzy and weird. Looking down at her hands, she noticed she really had gone a very pale colour.

“Sorry. I think I spaced out a little there.” She said uneasily. The talk of this ‘Final World’ made her feel a little lightheaded and… almost sickly. The fact that it could very well be the place that Sora had ended up was also making her giddy too. It was almost as if her heart was trying to tell her ‘ _Yes! That’s where we need to go, and we need to go there right now!’_

“Don’t faint on me or anything ok? I only know basic first aid.” Naminé laughed shakily. “Oh, looks like our food is here.” She noticed as the duck from before waddled over with two plates of chocolate cake.

“Here ye go, lassies. Enjoy! Chef put his little heart and soul intae these. He loves baking cakes from time te time!”

The pair thanked their waiter as he returned inside to serve more customers. The food had arrived just on time, maybe Kairi felt off because she was hungry? A little sugar might just be what she needed to perk up again. But there was still that nagging feeling somewhere inside her… Without thinking too much into it, she and Naminé dug into their cakes.

***

“I think that was the best thing I’ve ever eaten in my entire life.” Kairi said with a dreamy look in her eyes as she finished the last bit of cake. She wondered if the waiter would think strangely of them if they ordered another each or whether he’d be pleased with the added business. As Namine gave a stretch of her arm, she noticed she had somehow gotten chocolate sauce on her elbow. Kairi laughed as she tried to watch her Nobody attempt to lick it off with no success, Naminé giggling along with her when she shrugged and gave up. She was starting to feel a little steadier after her food. They should really compliment the chef for their delicious cakes, it really was unlike anything she’d ever tasted before.

When their waiter came around to collect their plates, Kairi and Naminé asked if they could thank the chef for their food. He gave a small chuckle to himself and said “Didyae hear that Little Chef? They think your cakes are wonderful!”

Who was he talking to? She couldn’t see anyone that looked like a chef walking about. Maybe he was going a little senile.

The waiter, who had introduced himself as Scrooge, took his top hat off and set it on their table. And from atop his head, a small creature scurried down, down his neck, his shoulder and along his arm (or wing. She wasn’t sure what you’d call his limb since he was almost human-like.) until it reached the table. It was a rat. The rat was the chef? Well, that sure was- different.

“Meet Little Chef.” Scrooge said, introducing them to the rat who was clearly the chef at the Bistro after all. “He may be small but he’s the best in the business when it comes te food!”

“Awww! He’s so cute!” Naminé cooed.

Little Chef gave his ear a twitch and shyly covered his face with his paws in embarrassment.

“Oh, I mean, we just wanted to thank you for our cakes, Little Chef! They were so tasty!” Naminé corrected herself.

“You’re so talented!” Agreed Kairi. “I’m going to tell everyone about this place, so you’ll have more customers than you know what to do with!”

He gave them both a delighted smile at that.

“Ach, Little Chef is pleased as punch at your kind words, lassies! Come on, back up in me hat. We’ve got more customers te serve!” Scrooge helped him back up to his head and placed his top hat back on. “We’ll be seeing you soon then I expect?” He asked with a laugh. With that, he and Little Chef continued their rounds of the tables to talk to their customers. Kairi and Naminé each left some munny and a tip on the table for them to collect later. Deciding that they needed to walk their food off, they took a stroll around the afternoon streets together, taking in the sights and all the people still bustling about. They eventually found themselves sat on a bench overlooking the town and the woods beyond it. Kairi fidgeted a little. She wanted to ask Namin  more about that strange world. There was just something about it that made her feel funny inside. Whether it was her gut instinct trying to tell her that Sora may be there or something else, she had to know more.

“So, um. About that ‘Final World’ place…” She began. “You don’t think it’s of this Realm?”

Naminé thought for a moment before giving her answer. “Well, no. I don’t think it is. I think it’s a kind of in-between world, like somewhere that hangs in the balance. That’s what Ansem and the others think too. I’m trying to remember what it was like there but it’s still so fuzzy. It was… quiet. Almost peaceful really. But even so, the fact that there were others there didn’t change the fact that I just felt so…” Naminé struggled to finish the sentence as she searched for a word.

“Lost.” Kairi answered. “Lonely. Almost as if you’d just been abandoned there with no one to look out for you.”

Naminé sharply raised her head and regarded Kairi in a manner that made it hard to judge what she was feeling.

“You’ve been there.” Was all she said.

“I think I have.” Kairi answered. No wonder she had felt so funny when Naminé had first described it to her. Some part of her subconscious knew what she had been talking about and had had an adverse reaction to it. And there was also that gut feeling. An instinct as sharp as anything. That feeling that told her that this Final World was where Sora could be. She remembered the sheer loneliness and fear she had felt when she herself had ended up there. Though the area itself was quiet and to an extent, peaceful, it didn’t shake off her negative feelings that she was completely friendless and alone there. Potentially trapped forever.

“I think it was where I went, after- after Xehanort struck me down. So, did I technically die? Is that where people go when their hearts and bodies perish, but there’s still something holding on to them in the Realm of Light? You say that I held onto Sora when he arrived there. What if he held onto me in the same way? He was the one that got me out of there after all…”

She wasn’t sure how he’d done it, but he’d managed to switch their places in that odd world between worlds. It was _her_ that had meant to die, was meant to be stuck there. Not him. He had sacrificed his own life so that he stayed there instead. She had to get him out, she couldn’t let him die. Not properly.

“How do you get into the Final World?” She suddenly asked, determination written all over her face.

“I-I’m not sure. Everyone at the Castle is trying to figure it out. I mean, this is only one option. Ansem also thinks he could have ended up in the Realm of Sleep or maybe even the Realm of Darkness…” She noticed that look on Kairi’s face and suddenly added; “Don’t you go doing anything reckless or stupid will you? Riku will have my head if anything ever happened to you.” She her an anxious look.

Kairi tried to force a slight smile. “Ha. You know I once ran through a dark corridor on the Islands because I thought it would lead to Sora and Riku right? No thought, just dashed right in. Now that’s stupid and reckless.” She said with a grin.

“You’re really not convincing me here.” Naminé said with a nervous laugh.

“Heh heh. Sorry. I promise I’ll be careful, Okay? Pinkie promise.” Kairi assured her, sticking her right pinkie finger out for Namine. Looking a little more relieved at that, Naminé locked her own pinkie with Kairi’s.

She would need a lot more information regarding this world. First, there was the matter of actually getting into the place which posed tricky in itself, but then there was also how she’d get back out again. She was sure that with everyone on the case, they’d figure it out eventually. Especially Ansem, he’d know what to do.

Kairi made to stand up from the bench. They thought it would be nice to have another walk around before they had to go their separate ways again, but as soon as she got to her feet, a boy bumped into her, scattering some of the leaflets he was carrying across the floor. He had a black and white shirt on and his unkept, messy dark brown hair was kept in place by a large headband. He looked awfully familiar…

“Oops! Sorry about that! I need to watch where I’m going.” The boy said as he bent down to try and salvage some of the leaflets. He looked and sounded a lot like one of those boys that helped her ages ago when she had run through the dark corridor and ended up in Twilight Town.

Wait. It _was_ him.

“Pence! How are you doing?”

“Huh? Wait a sec… don’t tell me… Kairi! Right? Haven’t seen you around here in a while! Excuse my clumsiness from before. I can’t really see where I’m going when I’ve got all these leaflets to hand out! Me, Hayner and Olette have been doing some work for Scrooge who owns the Bistro. Glad to see you’re doing ok though. Last time we saw you-.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” Kairi quickly cut him off with a nervous laugh. He didn’t need to remind her of _another_ time she’d shown too much weakness and had been taken advantage of. “Besides, me and Axel are good friends now. Long story but uh- don’t come after him with a nailed baseball bat if you see him about alright? He’s a good guy at heart.” Since Axel lived in Twilight Town now, she wouldn’t want him to be chased around by a bunch of angry teenagers thinking he was still some shady, evil guy who had dragged her away that day.

“Huh? Well, if you say so.” Pence shrugged, putting his hands behind his head as he left the pile of leaflets on the floor while he spoke. He then turned to Naminé. “Oh, hey! Don’t think I’ve seen you before. You two really look alike. I mean, not the hair obviously but you’ve got similar faces you know? Same eyes, same nose. Are you sisters? So your name’s Naminé? That’s a pretty name! You look kinda familiar though. But maybe that’s just ‘cuz you look like Kairi.”

_Jeez, could he speak any faster?_

Pence took a quick glance at his watch and grimaced at the time. He began to pick his pile of leaflets up again in a hurry.

“Uh-oh. Sorry I can’t stay and talk longer, I really gotta get these delivered today! It was nice seeing you both though. Say hi to Sora for me, ok?” He asked as he was about to leave.

Naminé gave her a slightly concerned look.

Kairi bit her lip. Should she tell him? He probably wouldn’t understand most of it anyway, not being a keyblade wielder and all, but still. They were friends, he should be in the know.

“Um, Pence? Just hold on a sec.” She called after him as he quickly spun round, scattering some leaflets again.

How would she word this?

“Can you do me a favour? Just- Please keep Sora in your thoughts for me. He really needs them at the moment. Something happened and… well, he’s um.. he’s missing. So, he really needs all of us to try and help him out.”

“Oh no! Well, I’m not sure how much help I could be, but we’ll all keep him in our thoughts for you. I mean. This is Sora we’re talking about. He’s always pulling off crazy things all the time! Wherever he is, I know you’ll find each other soon. But if it’ll be any help, we could ask around Town for some information?”

She was almost one hundred percent confident that that wouldn’t help, but she didn’t want to dismiss his help and hurt his feelings, so she accepted the offer anyway. With that, the girls saw Pence off as he disappeared around a corner on his delivery job.

It seemed to be getting late. She’d promised everyone in the Land of Departure that she’d be back tonight to continue her training. She wondered if she should let them know about what Naminé had told her too. It was far too important to not tell everyone about it, but on the other hand, they might think it far too risky for her to join in with. And that meant she’d be left behind, again. She’d have to think it over some more.

“I really should be getting back myself. I need to carry on with my training with Aqua and the others. Thank you so much for today though, I think we’ve finally got a lead on this search. You’ve been an amazing help, Naminé.”

“Don’t mention it. I’ve got your back. And you’ll be the first to know if we find out anything else, promise. But for the time being, try to keep that reckless version of yourself under control okay?” she said with a laugh.

That might be easier said than done. Axel was always telling her that she could be so stubborn and reckless when they used to train together. But he’d joke about it and say he was the exact same and blamed their fiery personalities on their fiery coloured hair.

Pulling Naminé into a goodbye hug, she promised her she’d be careful. As careful as a stubborn keyblade wielder could be, that is.

“Take care, Naminé. I’ll see you soon, promise. Maybe one day we should hang out here with Roxas and co? I’m sure they’d love to see you again properly.” She suggested.

Naminé carefully considered the offer and gave a nod of her head. “Uh-huh! Well, goodbye for now, Kairi.” She gave her somebody a wave and slunk into the shadow of a nearby alleyway, so no one would see her open up a dark corridor and vanish into darkness.

She’d forgotten that Naminé could open corridors of darkness. It didn’t seem to affect her either. She supposed if it didn’t have any adverse effect on her, it must be a convenient way to get around. Making a mental note of her location, she figured Axel’s apartment must be a few blocks south. Trying her best to keep the manic discussion of the day submerged in her mind for now, she headed off in the direction for her friend’s place.

***

Saying goodbye to them all proved more difficult than she had planned. She knew that she’d see them all again soon, but it still hurt knowing she would be parting ways with them for a while. Axel had no real reason to take her under her wing now that he had his best friends back, and yet, he did. He’d welcomed her into his friendship group with open arms and offered her a place to stay. Roxas and Xion had been keeping her grounded with their words of encouragement and even Isa had proven he wasn’t as much of a jerk as she thought. Although she’d only stayed two nights, she would miss their company, but was looking forward to being back in the Land of Departure with Aqua, Terra and Ven. She’d decided against telling anyone what she had learned today with Naminé for the time being, just while she processed it all in her head first. It was all a bit much to properly digest and would prove difficult if she tried to explain it further to anyone else at this stage.

“You all set to go then?” Axel asked, bringing her back to the present.

“Yeah. Thanks again for letting me stay here, everyone. Promise to keep in touch though ok?” She didn’t want these new bonds of friendship to wither away so easily, they were precious to her.

“Course we will!” Roxas answered. “Keep us updated with your training too. We’d love to spar with you one day, when you’re a bit stronger I mean.”

She was sure that she’d never be truly strong enough to take on Roxas, the guy was a killing machine. But even so, it might be a fun challenge for her to take on one day, providing he didn’t knock her out in the first few seconds of battle.

“Call us if you need anything.” Was all Isa said. That was very kind coming from him actually, given he was still a little weary around her.

“Yeah. Remember, you’ve always got your friends around you. You’re not alone in this.” Xion reminded her.

Kairi gave an affirming nod. She was right, clearly, she needed to heed by Xion’s wise words more often.

“Well, I’ll see you guys soon!” Best to keep the goodbye quick and easy rather than drag it on. Besides, she was sure that Aqua and the boys had been missing her.

Summoning a corridor, she knew exactly where to tell it to send her. She gave one final wave at her friends and proceeded back to that ancient land among the mountains.

*

Terra was the first to greet her as they bumped into each other in the main hallway as Kairi arrived. He gave her an affectionate brotherly rub of her hair and let her know where Aqua and Ven where.

“Ven’s told us about your trip to Neverland. I’m glad you enjoyed yourselves! The others are in the kitchen by the way, I’m just off to some a bit of studying. Catch you later, Kai.”

She was glad he hadn’t started bombarding her with questions about Radiant Garden or anything. All she wanted to do was to try and get some sleep, her head still hurt from earlier and she just wanted to shut down for a while and try and relax. She quickly popped her head in the kitchen to let them know she was back.

“Oh, hey! How’d it go?” Aqua asked enthusiastically.

“Uh... good thanks. I’m just a little tired though and I think I’m getting a headache.” Kairi said as she rubbed her head, trying to soothe the ache that was starting to grow there. “You don’t mind if I head to bed soon do you?”

“Course not. You can tell us all about it when you’re feeling up to it. Get some rest, sleepyhead.”

“Hey, I thought that was my nickname, Aqua?” Ven asked, feigning betrayal that she’d dare use that nickname for someone else.

“You’re both a pair of sleepyheads.” She answered her younger friend. “But you still take the cake when it comes to long naps, Ven.” He seemed quite proud of that title.

Kairi bid them both goodnight and started back to her room. It was later than she’d thought as she looked out of the windows along the corridor. The sky was starting to get dark and the air was getting cooler. It was already 8.30pm. An early bedtime, but she thought she’d need it given the day she’d had. Laying the gift from Roxas and Xion as well as the book of fairy tales on the small table beside the bed, she clambered into bed, hoping sleep would take her soon.

It did not.

***

11pm. And still she lay there, wide awake.

Heavy rain clattered on her window as a million and one thoughts raced through her mind of what Naminé had told her earlier that day. The Final World… what exactly was it? A sort of limbo between life and death? Did that mean that _she_ had died? How did you even get to it and how would you get out again?

Had Sora died in his attempt to rescue her from that place?

Was it all her fault?

It was all too much to take in. Her head started to ache. Pulling out her writing set from Roxas and Xion, she began to scribble down thoughts and ideas, hopefully transferring the mess from her head to a mess on the paper. Taking a glance at her work, it resembled more like a mad scientist trying to organise their thoughts than anything else. She gave a sigh of annoyance and bumped the back of her head against the wall. Now she was even more annoyed as she rubbed her head and winced a little. Maybe reading would help clear her head. If she kept this up, she’d be awake all night and have no energy left for training in the morning. Setting her notes on the floor, she swapped them for the heavy book of fairytales she had found in Ansem’s library.

She hadn’t remembered it had so many other tales in it apart from her own personal favourite. She began to get engrossed in a completely different one about a group of animals that lived together as friends. A long time ago, a Unicorn, a Bear, a Snake, a Leopard, a Goat and a Fox all lived together in harmony under the leadership of the Lion. But one day, the Lion mysteriously vanished and not too long after, so too did the Goat. The other animals left behind were scared and confused. They didn’t know what to do or how to go about their lives as normal. Then, they began to fight amongst themselves over who did what job and who would be the new leader. Eventually, the Fox had found the Goat and confronted him about his disappearance. The Goat had confessed he knew that this would happen and had set them all up to fight with each other. This angered the Fox as she felt betrayed by her former friend. They fought for hours with there being no sign of a clear winner but when the Fox’s back was turned, the Goat managed to slip away, never to be seen again.

She wondered what that was about. These tales usually held some sort of deeper meaning, but she just couldn’t figure this one out. She let a huge breath escape through her nose. This wasn’t helping either.

Swinging her legs out of the bed, she sat on the edge in deep thought. A crazy thought was racing through her mind. It was stupid, and probably wouldn’t work, but she just couldn’t get her head to clear, she wouldn’t be able to sleep until she tried it.

_Don’t do anything stupid or reckless._ Naminé’s words echoed through her mind. It wasn’t _that_ reckless. If she could get herself in, she could get herself out. No problem. She quickly changed back into her regular gear and let her thoughts guide her as she drew her keyblade up.

_Please, take me to a place that Sora might be. A place between life and death. I need_ some _clue of how I’m going to reach him. Please._

Her keyblade responded to her wish, a glowing corridor appeared before her, beckoning her to step inside and see what awaited her on the other side.

She drew a shaky breath. She wouldn’t be long. And nobody would be checking up on her anyway. They were probably all in bed now.

Hoping that she wasn’t about to make some huge mistake, she let her heart guide her, and stepped through the corridor into worlds unknown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Huh. This chapter was longer than I was expecting it to be. Wack.   
> -Kairi’s a hugger. Can you tell? And she gives the BEST hugs. She’s got so much love to go around and she just wants to share it with everyone. And she’s got a mega sweet tooth. Naminé does too but she quite likes the taste of dark rather than milk or white. Shes weird like that.  
> -Couldn’t be Twilight Town without a Scrooge and Little Chef cameo, right? Either way, they think Little Chef is adorable af.  
> -Ooh. Onto the real nitty gritty. Naminé has finally began to remember her time in the final world. Which in turn, gave Kairi a real weird sense of de ja vu. Just by the brief explanation Naminé had given her, she just got an intense gut feeling that Sora could very well be there. Hence her feeling even more sickly.  
> -And then realising ‘Oh right that’s where I ended up too, shit.’ Girls bonding over their time in Kingdom Hearts Purgatory. Yay.   
> -LORD PENCE LORD PENCE LORD PENCE  
> -Pence: Haha, remember the last time we spoke and some shady guy kidnapped you?  
> Kairi: YOU’RE ABOUT TO FACE THE WRATH OF A GOD, BUDDY.  
> -More self-conscious Kairi oops. Its for the character development.  
> \- Could I be more obvious with the brief animal tale I might as well have been saying LOOK, KHUX. IT’S A KHUX REFERENCE. Also the MoM being represented by a lion goes back to the fact that his name may be linked to the sin of Pride. So... a lion. It fits.   
> -Hmmm. I winder where Kairi’s off to? ;) Hint- not the Final World. Sometimes when you let your heart be your guiding key it can take your wish too literally. She’s going to a new world that hasn’t been featured in KH yet. Hee hee.


	7. Skeletons in the closet

Thoughts of Sora whirled through her mind as she left the Land of Departure behind and stepped into the unknown.

Sora was on the verge of death. He could be literal inches from it away if she didn’t save him. Life and death. How would one transcend the barriers between them without actually dying themselves? Could such a place be reached? She needed clues, answers. And fast.

She seemed to have emerged in an alleyway or a very narrow street, paved with cobblestones. From just taking a quick glance around, the world seemed normal enough. It looked as if it was also night-time just like back in the Land of Departure. Where had her keyblade taken her? Pushing a small lock of hair out of her face, she caught the sight of her hand out of the corner of her eye. Something wasn’t quite right with it. It seemed awfully pale.

No. More than just pale. Pure white as bone. Her skin was nowhere in sight. Her hand had become skeletal.

She gave the loudest ear-curdling shriek before quickly retracting her hand and shoving it into the pockets of her jacket.

_It’s fine, its fine. Calm down. Probably just a trick of the light. When you take your hand out again, it’ll be back to normal. Nothing to freak out about._

Slowly, she brought both of her hands back into view, holding them inches away from her face. Nope, they were still very much fleshless.

And not just her hands. Looking down, she noticed that her legs and feet were too. Her face, her entire body had been completely rid of skin. Yet she could somehow still feel her heart rapidly beating somewhere in her chest. Very strange.

Emerging from the narrow alleyway, she came upon a row of shops selling all kinds of things from clothes to kick knacks to books, and that rapid heartbeat made a sudden stop for a moment when she caught sight of her reflection in a shop window. She looked exactly like a skeleton. The only ‘human’ parts of her body she seemed to have retained were her eyes and hair. Approaching the reflection with caution, she stopped closer to the window and gave her head a prod with a bony finger.

“This is so weird…” She thought aloud as she continued to prod herself. Perhaps this had something to do with this particular world’s order? As she stared at the glass, she noticed figures moving in the background and turned around to face them. A couple of skeletal people were walking around, talking, laughing. They didn’t seem very phased by their odd appearance. This must be how people looked in this world then.

Then… were they all dead? Was this a world that had links to the afterlife? She should do some exploring. She wasn’t sure if this could be the same place that Naminé had been talking about, but it had definitely piqued her interest.

“Mrrp?” A noise sounded from beneath her.

Kairi looked down to see a small yet very colourful cat standing next to her. It brushed up against her leg and began to purr. She crouched down to say hello to the little creature.

“Hey little fella.” She said softly as she gently stroked the cat’s head. The cat was bright orange with green and blue stripes coating its fur. Its stripes appeared to glow as she stroked it, hopefully that indicated that it was happy and enjoying Kairi’s company. Perhaps the animals of this world looked different from the people. They couldn’t be more contrasting.

She giggled. “You’re so cute!”

The cat gave her hand a warm lick as it gave a little chirp and turned and headed for a skeleton woman on the other side of the street. _Must be his owner or something._

The woman scooped the cat up and caught Kairi’s eye, giving her a friendly smile and a wave. Kairi waved back out of politeness, still a little bewildered by this bizarre new world. Unsure of where she should start, she headed down the winding street, taking in the sights and sounds of this world that these skeleton people called home.

She noticed that a few of the people walking around were giving her strange looks; some sympathetic, some just plain odd. She self-consciously pulled her hood up over her face, hoping people would just stop staring at her. Or at least she wouldn’t have to see them staring. She couldn’t draw any unwanted attention to herself. _Blend in, try and look like you belong in this world._

Easier said than done. This was one of the strangest places she’d ever been to. Strange, yet alluring. Everywhere she went, everything was bursting with colour, bright and cheerful against the world’s dark sky. Buildings were covered in bright lights, illuminating the surrounding streets and shops, with all manners of paintings and decorations dotted about the place. It sure looked lively considering everyone there was dead. Everywhere she turned she saw the same poster that had been plastered onto walls, houses and streetlights. It displayed information about an upcoming event with a picture of a rather cocky looking man holding a guitar. Kairi wasn’t sure why, but something irked her about his face. He looked like one of those annoying celebrity figures that demanded attention wherever they went. Absolutely full of himself. Turning her nose up at the image, she turned heel and headed for a more open street with far more people wandering about, accompanied by those friendly, bright coloured animals. She supposed the more she walked around and tried to suss this world out, the better. She needed to find out whether Sora could be here.

But how?

**

 

So many unexpected and surprising things lay around every corner of this world. Whether it was one of those colourful animals, the cheery energy of a group of dancers entertaining a crowd, or the weird one-legged man hobbling and shouting down the street after something that resembled a dog.

_The what?_

“Gaaayaaahhhh!! Hey wait! Come back, that’s my tibia, I need that! Give me my leg back you little!-”

Kairi couldn’t make out what he was saying as he continued yelling and half hurtling-half hopping down the road after his target, but it sounded like a load of expletives. Still, if it was a person in distress, then it was her job as a keyblade wielder to help them. She hurried on after the man, ready to summon her blade to her hand, hoping that the locals would just see it as a fancy sword and nothing else.

“Wait!” She called after the man. “Let me help you!”

The man seemed to have cornered his target in a dead-end street. Kairi panted as she ran to catch up with him. He was fast for someone who was missing a leg. It was then that Kairi noticed that the dog that had stolen the man’s leg bone didn’t look quite like the other animals of this world. It had a foreboding energy about it that didn’t seem right.

“Aha!” Called the man, pointing a bony finger at the dog. “Found you at last! No one steals Héctor’s leg and gets away with it!”

The dog then proceeded to drop the bone at its feet and gave a warning snarl to the man to stay away. That was when she noticed the emblem on it’s back. Sure enough, it was a heartless.

“Yikes! Listen, I’ll give you something nice if you give me my leg back?” The man called Héctor pleaded with the heartless, slowly backing up as the dog-heartless snarled again. “I know a guy who makes the best churros around! Waddya say?”

Kairi swiftly put herself between the man and the heartless, bringing her keyblade down on the mutt’s head. It dissipated in a cloud of swirling black. _That easy to take down huh? Must have been all bark and no bite._

She picked up the slobbered covered bone and turned to Héctor, giving a little nervous smile. She was holding someone’s leg bone.

“Um- Here’s your leg?” She said, offering it to Hector. “Are you ok? That thing didn’t hurt you at all did it? I mean, apart from pulling your tibia off…” She immediately regretted her choice of words as soon as they came out of her mouth. Why did she have to be so damn awkward at times?

Héctor gratefully accepted his leg back, luckily not noticing, or paying attention to her apparent awkwardness. Now that she was able to get a closer look at the man, Kairi noticed that seemed a little different from the other people of this world. Though he was still all bone and no flesh, his bones were like the colour of old parchment that had been left for thousands of years, unlike the others who appeared a milkier white. Maybe he was just a really old guy? But then again, he didn’t look like an old man. It was hard to age people here, but he appeared to be somewhere in his 30’s if she were to guess.

“Ah, thanks for that, Little Lady.” He said, bending over to reattach his leg, his straw hat falling off his messy head of dark hair in the process. He grumbled to himself as he finished with his leg and put his hat back on top of his head. He suddenly snapped his head up to look at Kairi properly. “Hey, how did you get rid of that weird Alebrije anyway? I’ve seen a couple of them wandering about the place, but no one has ever dared to fight them off! Well- except the big Alebrijes of course. You’re pretty brave, kid. The name’s Héctor. What’s yours?”

 

“My name is Kairi. And I’m uh.. kinda new here.” She said honestly. No point in pretending that she knew this world, maybe this Hector guy could help her navigate around this new place.

 

“Ah.” He simply said, looking sad all of a sudden. “You’re so young too. I hate seeing younger people like you ending up here. Though I’m no spring chicken myself, most of the people here have lived their lives to the full and are ready when they cross over. Would have still been living my best life had I not contracted a nasty case of food poisoning. So, what happened to you? If you don’t mind me asking of course.”

 

That scar on her back seemed to burn at that question. Though she may have no skin in this world, she felt it there all the same. Just like she could feel her heartbeat start to quicken.

 

“I- I don’t really like talking about it.” She answered, shifting her gaze away from him, not wanting him to press for an answer.

 

“Oh! I’m sorry. Kairi was it? Heh. Don’t mind me, just curious that’s all.” Now it was Héctor’s turn to feel awkward. Kairi smiled. He seemed like a nice person, she could tell by just a few minutes of talking with him. Kind of the opposite of that other guy in the poster.

“It’s alright, Héctor. But uh- I was wondering if you could help me out with something? You see, I’m looking for a friend of mine. I think he might be around here somewhere. He’s uh… A bit taller than me, spikey brown hair, loads of energy, kind of handsome…”

Why did she say that?

Héctor gave his chin a scratch. “What’s this handsome fella’s name?” He asked.

Kairi was now feeling lucky that she had no flesh in this world, for her cheeks would have been burning bright pink at that remark.

“Sora.” She answered.

Héctor gave another scratch of his chin as he continued to think.

“Nope. Sorry, name doesn’t ring a bell. But I know who might know. There’s a registry office on the way to my house. They’ve got all the names of everyone in The Land of The Dead! They can trace just about anyone if you give them a name. I bet if you ask there, they’ll be able to tell you if your friend is here. In fact, I’ll take you there myself!” Héctor was full of enthusiasm, he looked like he wanted to dash off right there and then.

“That’d be great!” Kairi gave an equally enthusiastic answer. Her luck seemed to have changed. Now she’d have a chance to find Sora without scouring the entire world for him.

“Yes! Yes! I help you, you help me! We can help each other! See I’d feel a lot better going back home if you’d come with me. I’d hate for one of those scary Alebrijes to attack me again. Or worse, a whole pack of them to attack me! Please! You gotta help me out here, Little Lady.”

Poor Héctor. The heartless from before wasn’t that powerful but who knows what they might run into later on.

“Don’t worry Héctor, if we run into any trouble, I’ll keep you safe! So, which way to your house?”

“Great! Thank you so much, Kairi! It’s uh…” Héctor looked around, trying to get his bearings. “Ah! It’s this way. We haven’t got too far to go, and we can stop off at the registry office on our way.” He gave a motion of his head, indicating her the direction in which they would travel. She’d have to have her wits about her at all times, ready to jump into action if she sensed any threat. Thankfully, she was getting better and better at that lately.

**

Kairi and Héctor made their way through the busy streets, only bumping into a handful of weak heartless lurking in the darkness along the way. She made fast work of them while protecting Héctor from their hungry gaze. Apparently, they had always been in this world but the nicer spirits, the Alebrijes, had kept them under control by hunting them down. _It would be useful if every world had kind spirits like that to keep heartless under control._

Again, there were more posters displaying an upcoming event plastered everywhere they went. It must have been very important for it to be literally all over the world. She decided to give the poster a proper read this time, still not very impressed with this ‘Ernesto’ guy. Héctor caught her looking at the poster and gave a sigh of annoyance.

 

“Ugh. Every year. Every year he puts on that Sunrise Spectacular and every year everyone is all “Oh Ernesto you’re so cool! Mr de la Cruz, can I get an autograph?” He’s not even that good of a songwriter!” he said exasperatedly, throwing his arms into the air.

“He seems kinda full of himself to me…” Kairi confessed.

Apparently, that statement pleased Héctor very much.

“Ah! Thank you! Finally, someone with a bit of sense around here! Come on Kairi, the Office is just up this road.”

Kairi hurried after him as they approached a large stone building, very different looking from the rest of the world. Inside, it resembled a bank office or something similar, with many people sat at computer screens busily typing away and a queue of customers waiting to be seen. So, this was the place that had a database on every single person in this world? That was both cool and a little creepy at the same time. After waiting in the queue for a few minutes, they were called over by a small, peppy looking woman.

“Good evening! What can I help you both with?” She asked with a little hint of that fake customer service voice that everyone had to put on when dealing with the public.

Héctor gave Kairi a nudge with his elbow, best if she told her who she was looking for. She approached the woman at the desk, trying to form the question correctly in her mind first.

“Hi, we’re looking for someone- a friend of mine. I’m not actually sure if he’s here I’m uh… I’ve only just got here myself, but his name is Sora. He’s a little taller than me, brown, spikey hair and about 16 years old. Would you check on your system if you have anything on him please?” She leaned over slightly against the desk as if she wanted to jump inside the computer and search for him herself.

The lady began typing things into her computer and muttering to herself as she brought up the search results.

“Hmm… Sora… No not Zola. Or Sara. Definitely not Yozora…” She continued her search, a look of puzzlement creeping across her face. “No, I’m sorry. I can’t find anybody matching the description I’m afraid. But that must mean he’s still in the Land of the Living! You’ll be able to see him soon in a few weeks when Día de Muertos rolls around!”

She had absolutely no idea what that meant but thanked the receptionist for her help anyway before she and Héctor headed back outside. She hadn’t expected as much but still felt that despair creeping back into her heart once more. What did she expect? This was no easy quest after all.

**

Disheartened, they sat on the lowest step that lead up to the Registry building in silence. Why had her keyblade taken her here in the first place? Was this the only place in the Realm of Light that was accessible to her? She didn’t know. She rested her head on her hand as they sat, thinking where in this vast universe she should look next.

Finally, Héctor spoke up.

“I’m really sorry about your friend. But hey, he’s still alive so that’s a good thing right? And like the lady said, Día de Muertos is only around the corner. You can cross the bridge to get over to see him! I mean, that’s only if your family put your photo up on the family ofrenda of course…” he trailed off. He seemed sad at the mention of his family. He must miss them terribly.

She wasn’t sure what Día de Muertos was, but it must be extremely important to the people of this world. From what she had gathered, they could cross a bridge to visit their families in the Living World for that one night. But only if your family had a picture of you?

Her confusion must have showed in her face. Hector gave a sad smile and explained.

“Right… you’re new here so you probably don’t know how it works. Your family must have an ofrenda, they put pictures up of family members that have passed. Well, to put it simply, if your picture isn’t up there, you can’t cross over to the other world. You’re stuck here. While the remainder of your family slowly forgets about you. Until no one remembers you anymore…”

Kairi’s heart sank. It was as if Héctor’s family didn’t even care about him anymore. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like for no one in the world to remember you. She remembered when only her and Riku were the ones that remembered Sora while he was asleep for a year, and even that had felt awful.

Reminiscing, as if he needed to vent his feelings out to someone, even if that someone was a complete stranger to this world whom he had just met that day, he continued to tell Kairi about his family.

“It’s my fault really. I wanted to pursue my music career and I left my wife and daughter behind. After a while, I realised how much I missed them and how much I loved them, so I decided to go home. I never did reach home though, I died of a bad case of food poisoning shortly after and because I never returned, they didn’t put my picture up. And so, year after year, I watch everyone cross that bridge and I see them return with smiling faces and gifts from their friends and family, and I stay here on this side. Sometimes I wish I could just change the past, wish I’d never left at all. But even so, I’d only want to cross over one time, just once. So I could see my daughter again, my Coco. She’ll be an old woman by now but if I could just tell her how much I love her… How I’ve regretted missing her grow up and live her own life. Maybe she could forgive me. I don’t know… Heh, sorry that was a bit heavy for you right? But I feel better for telling someone all of this. Thanks for listening to me, Kairi.”

She wanted desperately to tell him that it would be alright, that somehow, he’d be able to see his daughter again, but she couldn’t find the right words. Still, she had to say something.

“If you love her, then your hearts are connected. And when hearts are connected, they always find a way back to each other, no matter how hard it may seem. Trust me, I know first-hand.” She offered, hoping that would make him feel even a little better.

Héctor was silent. Then, he got to his feet and offered her a hand up. He still seemed sad, but there was a trace of determination somewhere within him too.

“You’re right. I don’t know how or when, but I will see her again. And you’ll see your Sora again too.” He looked towards the sky. “After all, Love is a powerful thing.”

She gave a small nod and wiped her eye. She could feel tears starting to well up already. Maybe that was why she had ended up here. To remind her to never give up and to always keep a strong heart.

“Hey, hey! Don’t cry! Here- look!” He pulled his hand from his arm and set it on the floor, which then started doing a frenzied tap dance.

She laughed whilst still wiping her eyes. Right, she must not give up. She had to head back and continue her search.

“Thanks, Héctor. Uh, are you going to be ok now? You live around here don’t you?”

Héctor picked up and reattached his hand back into place. “Oh yes, I live just over that way and the evil Alebrijes never come round here. Are you going to be ok though? Do you even know where to go?” He asked with concern.

Kairi considered that for a moment. She needed to find a quiet place to disappear, sooner rather than later too.

“I’ll be fine, I know where my family are. I should get going though. It was nice to meet you!”

Héctor grinned as he started to walk away. “You too! Maybe we should catch up some time, yeah?”

“Oh, um... sure!?” Was all she could answer with. Best to leave right now. She disappeared into an oncoming crowd of people and slipped into a quiet side road to head for home.

**

 

Kairi arrived just where she had originally set off, in her bedroom and judging from the view outside, it was very early in the morning. Still dark, but dawn would soon break over the horizon. She gave her hands a quick glance over and turned around to inspect the rest of her body. Back to normal. Relieved, she realised that she hadn’t been gone for too long. Hopefully she would still get enough sleep for the day ahead and not be too exhausted to function properly. At least no one had noticed her absence due to it being so late.

No one except the tiny figure now standing in her slightly ajar doorway.

“Wha- Chirithy!” She hissed. “What are you doing? Go back in to Ven!”

The little dream eater just stood watching her for a moment, cocking their head to the side before asking her the dreaded question.

“Did you sneak out?” They asked quite innocently.

They didn’t seem angry with her. Just merely curious. She supposed she could tell them at least half of the truth, just as long as the others didn’t find out. She’d been caught right in the act. No point in lying to the cat.

“Uh…” She started. “Well- Yeah. But only for a little bit! I just needed some space to think. I’m sorry Chirithy. Please don’t go telling Aqua! I was only- um.” The words escaped her; she was a terrible liar. But at the same time, she couldn’t just say she’d ran off to a far-off world to search for her potentially dead best friend in the middle of the night.

“Ah it’s ok.” They said, waving a paw about nonchalantly. “You wouldn’t believe the amount of times Ven’s ran off somewhere when he shouldn’t have. I just wanted to check you were alright, that’s all. Well, goodnight! Hey, can I borrow your book to read please? I may be a dream eater, but I need help drifting off all the same.”

“Sure thing. Do you want me to carry it for you?” She asked as she dragged it out from under her bed and handed it to Chirithy. Did they even have the strength to lug that thing around?

“Nah, I’ll be fine. Night Kairi!” With that, Chirithy nimbly took the book in their paws and disappeared in a cloudy puff, presumably back to Ven’s room. As the cloud dissipated in the room, Kairi caught an array of scents that made her feel drowsy. She could smell fresh lavender and cotton and… maybe… other things… she mused, as she sleepily clambered onto her bed and fell into the world of dreams and sleep.

*

The Secret Place again.

The place they had spent so much time in as children, hiding away from the adults, scrawling pictures on the walls and lazing around in the cool darkness. Her hand lazily drifted along the wall, along all those drawings they had made so long ago, until she reached the end where that door should be.

Except the door wasn’t there. In its place, in the same shape of the doorway that should have been there, as if it had been there all along, stood a mirror. Although as she stepped in front of it, she saw no reflection of herself. No image of the cave and drawings behind her. No, for in the mirror, there was just cloudy darkness. Kairi placed her hand upon the glass, gazing deeply into the abyss beyond the mirror. There was nothing there.

She felt a breeze coming from somewhere behind her, it gently swept her hair back, as if caressing it. She turned to see the source of the breeze, but the cave fell still again. It had left as swiftly as it had arrived. It felt so reassuring for some odd reason, she thought as she brushed her hair back into place with her other hand.

“Thought I’d find you in here.” A familiar voice spoke up.

She whipped her head around trying to locate the source of the voice. That voice… It couldn’t be…

“Sora?” She called out to the emptiness. “Sora, where are you?!”

It was then when she realised the voice was coming from the mirror. In its murky blackness, she could just start to make out a figure.

How she’d longed to see that face again.

“Hey.” Sora smiled.

Kairi couldn’t speak for a moment. Too dazed to finally see her best friend before her eyes again. But words finally made their way out.

“You’ve been gone for weeks, trapped in who knows where and all you say is ‘hey?” She half laughed as she knelt before the mirror, again gently placing her hand against its cold surface.

He sat on the other side, watching her every move.

“Well, technically I also said: ‘I thought I’d find you here.” He gave her that all too familiar Sora-grin that she hadn’t realised she had missed so much. He placed his hand against his side of the mirror, lining it up with hers. She could almost feel warmth coming from it.

“We’ve been looking all over for you. Please, tell me where you are. I’m going to find you just like I promised.” She pleaded.

She saw the tips of his fingers curl ever so slightly, like he wanted to hold her hand. She pressed hers further against the mirror. _I’m here._

He glanced down at the surrounding darkness. “I don’t know. It’s weird. I feel like I should know but I just don’t. I don’t feel right.” He paused. “I just… I want to go home.” He confessed.

Shuffling forward slightly, she leant her forehead against the mirror.

“I’m going to bring you home. Somehow, I’m going to figure this out. All of us here, we’re going to work together to bring you back. I swear it.”

And you couldn’t go back once you’d sworn an oath.

Sora’s eyes lit up at her promise. He looked teary eyed, tired. He too leaned his head against hers. Only the cold glass separating them. It was cruel. He was so close yet so far away. But not for long. Soon he’d be back home where he belonged, among his friends and all the worlds he held dear.

Something was pulling her away, waking her from this dream she did not want to leave. She drew back from the mirror as Sora’s image began to fade. But he didn’t look sad anymore. He gave her a reassuring nod.

“Yeah. It’s a promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Coco world to explore the links between the realms of life and death? Its more likely than you think.  
> \- Kairi loves all animals. She can’t pick between cats and dogs as her favourites but once she sees a cute kitty, she goes w e a k.  
> \- Kai doesn’t have to see Ernesto in the flesh to know he’s a prick. She’s got that sixth sense where she just knows when people aren’t genuine. Héctor on the other hand? She immediately likes him, she knows he’s got a good heart.  
> \- Its ok, everyone knows Sora is a soft, handsome boi.   
> \- Yes this is set before the events of Coco. As in the weeks leading up to the Day of the Dead  
> \- Chirithy finds comfort in Kairi’s book, since it has tales of the KHUX era in it. I wonder if they’ll show it to Ven one day? :3  
> \- Yay Sokai dream sequences! Ah, the symbolism. I’m so subtle. I’m really, really not.


	8. Cry all my tears

A week or so had passed since Kairi’s nightly outing to the Land of the Dead and luckily, neither Aqua nor the boys had found out about her little trip. And so, she continued her training with the three of them, Aqua mentoring her as usual with Terra and Ven joining in with their lessons. Although she couldn’t really see it herself, all three of her friends had commented on how much better she was getting at wielding the keyblade. Her magic more powerful and accurate, her stamina ever increasing, and her technique being more refined every day. She hadn’t yet thought of where to search for Sora next, although they’d all managed to compile a list of possibilities with vague plans being tossed about. She hadn’t dreamed of him either ever since that night. Restlessness was starting to creep into her. Although her training was important, she yearned to start searching again with the help of all her friends.

The three wielders plus Chirithy sat around the table after dinner one night, Terra telling them the tale of when he had first summoned his keyblade as a young teen and could barely even hold it due to its sheer size, when she heard her Gummiphone calling with Riku on the other end. She felt excited to talk to him, she hadn’t had a proper chance to speak with him all week.

“Hey Riku, how are things?” She asked as his face appeared on the screen.

He gave her a firm nod. “Going well. Listen, me and Mickey are going to Master Yen Sid’s Tower tomorrow evening to try and get a plan formed. He’s asked if you could come too. I mean- if it doesn’t interrupt your training or anything.” He quickly corrected himself.

Kairi took a glance at Aqua to ask for her permission. She _was_ her mentor after all, it would be rude to not ask her first.

“Of course.” She gave her that warm smile that Kairi had grown to love so much. “Give our regards to Master Yen Sid for us.”

***

Riku and Mickey arrived the following evening, Riku had now seemed to have become a professional Gummiship driver in the past few weeks. She’d jokingly asked if she could drive to which Riku replied with a resounding “NO! Absolutely not!” Her and Mickey had laughed all the way to the Mysterious Tower, saying how the ship was almost like his child the way he cared for it. Riku grumbled from his front driving seat.

The sky overhead was beautiful as ever. Thousands of stars twinkling above, some forming shapes in the sky to create constellations. It was exactly the same as it had been when she’d last visited; that night when her plus the other guardians had gathered to speak with the Master, the night before they ventured into the Keyblade Graveyard, only this time, Sora would not return with them. She took a deep breath in the cool, crisp air to steady herself, wondering what Yen Sid had planned for them. Mickey led the way towards the tower door, which opened automatically when the three got close. He must have known they had just arrived.

Up and up the huge spiral staircase they walked, until they reached the door to Yen Sid’s study. Riku gave the door a knock three times before entering, Mickey went after him, Kairi falling in behind. She felt so out of place in this strange tower in the Lanes Between; two true keyblade masters and one former master. And then there was her. The rookie wielder who had cheated death itself.

The three wielders stood in a line facing the Master. He looked like he was asleep. Or perhaps in deep thought about something. Probably the latter, Kairi didn’t think he would be the type to fall asleep in a room of people.

“Hello Master Yen Sid!” Mickey addressed his old master in his usual chipper voice.

The Master finally opened his eyes and gazed upon them all. He cleared his throat before speaking.

“Ah, Mickey, Riku, Kairi. I am fortunate you could make it. We have not made much progress in the search for Sora and as each day passes, I grow more concerned. Which is why I summoned the three of you here this evening. We must make haste with a plan as soon as possible. Though I do believe you have discovered some information on his potential whereabouts?” He spoke in such a way that demanded respect. A wise, well experienced wielder who had seen many years and perhaps seen many tragedies along the way too.

Kairi wasn’t sure if that was her cue to speak, luckily, Riku answered for her.

“We think Sora may be trapped in a place called The Final World. It’s where he ended up when all of us were struck down by the Demon Tide. Kairi and Namine have also been there and it seems like our best bet right now to be honest. The only problem is, we have no idea how to get there and even if we do, we’ve then got the issue of getting back out again. It’s like the Realm of Darkness except about ten times more difficult.” Riku explained with a disdained look. It wasn’t like Riku to look so downhearted. She wondered if he’d been keeping his feelings all to himself again.

Master Yen Sid considered this as he again closed his eyes for a few moments to think. He then opened them once more and looked directly at Kairi.

“I understand you have been training under Aqua recently. I am glad you are being tutored by a true master. Regardless, you say you have been to this world. Tell me all that you know.”

So, she told him of the mysterious world, how she had ended up there and how Sora had travelled to find her and get her out. He didn’t say much when she spoke, he simply listened to her story, nodding occasionally. He didn’t even seem that concerned when she had told him, albeit a little reluctantly, what had happened to her in the first place. Nor was he surprised when she told him of Sora apparently fading away into the Final World when she had last seen him. She shook it off as him just attentively listening to her and yet, there was something in the back of her mind that just felt… off.

At last he spoke again.

“It would appear as though Sora has abused the Power of Waking far too many times. There is a high price to pay for using such a power in the wrong way. One may even call it taboo…”

His words faded into the background as he seemed to be addressing Mickey and Riku this time. She felt the back of her neck getting hot, the hairs standing on end as something stirred inside her.

He spoke of Sora as if he was a silly child that had used his new toy the wrong way and ended up breaking it and hurting himself in the process. A toy that had come with no instructions or guidance in the first place.

She began to feel very irritable. Sora was no idiot. He’d saved the worlds from destruction three times now. All while being self-taught and not recognised as a true master. He’d been given a lot of grief by failing the Mark of Mastery exam and losing his powers, which wasn’t even his fault to begin with. How was he to know it was all a scheme that Xehanort had set up to attempt to use him as one of their vessels? The feeling deep within stirred even more, turning to anger.

Yen Sid was still speaking to the others.

“- As such, although it is a risk, we may have to use the power again if we are to-”

“Master.” Kairi addressed Yen Sid without looking up.

Mickey looked more offended than his master, who wore that same stoic look as always, that she had interrupted the sorcerer. He looked up at her, all the while being silent.

“Master.” She continued. “What exactly is the Power of Waking? Why did you instruct Sora to relearn a power and not explain to him what it is or how to use it correctly?”

Silence. She’d thought as much.

“And _why_ ” She continued, her voice becoming harsher, anger bubbling inside her, “Did you not warn him of the dangers beforehand? You threw him headfirst into a dangerous mission with no guidance and yet you scold him for being so reckless?” The anger inside her was growing, boiling over in the same manner as an unattended pot over a hot stove. It hurt her, but she had to get it out. She had to tell him exactly what she thought of the situation, how reckless _he_ had been by putting Sora in danger.

“Kairi…” Riku made an attempt to warn her not to go too far, to calm down perhaps. She shot him a dangerous look, silencing him. It was a look Riku had never seen Kairi use before, and it made him look away.

“You dare accuse him at being at fault when you yourself did not even realise that _you_ were the one at fault?!” She was beginning to shake. Shake with rage. “We had _one_ day to prepare for that battle! Did you not think to warn him even then? And what about Aqua and Ven? Did you not even consider them? They didn’t even get a chance to properly recover! They weren’t ready for a battle between the darkness the following day! None of us were! Me and Axel- we were so unprepared it was terrifying! We’d only fought each other with no real experience to guide us, and then we’re thrown into battle and we spend most of the time protecting one another so neither of us are killed! Oh, but wait- I _was_ killed. Just as everyone else was swallowed up by the Demon Tide. Do you even know what that feels like? And I’m not just talking about the physical pain but the sheer _fear_ you feel inside you when you know it’s coming and there’s nothing you can do about it. The fear of being truly alone and the helplessness as you watch your best friend fade away right before your eyes. None of this would have happened if you’d have just warned him! _Warned all of us!!_ ”

“Kairi!” Mickey cried. “Now that’s out of order!”

She ignored him.

“It’s your fault this happened! It’s your fault he’s gone! You _used_ him! And now I might never see him again because you couldn’t be bothered to teach him about using dangerous power! It’s your fault!!”

She could feel a huge mass of tears start to well up in her eyes, blurring her vision. She couldn’t see the faces of either Riku, Mickey or Yen Sid but if she could, she would have seen the utter shock and disbelief all over them. Her heart was racing, and her throat was sore. She’d nearly screamed that last statement at the Master. She was going to explode. She had to leave. Tears streaming down her cheeks, she turned and ran for the door, running as fast as she could down the staircase, even missing a few steps out as she fled the castle interior to the cool outdoors, slamming the front door shut.

There she stood for a few moments, panting and shaking. She screamed at the sky, not caring who heard her.

**_“WHY HIM?! WHY?!!”_ **

Unable to bear it any longer, she sank to the ground as the tears continued to pour and she sobbed like a child. Great, ugly sobs that hurt her heart. She didn’t care. She sat and cried and cried, her very being feeling nothing but sadness and emptiness, not knowing how much time had passed, nor no longer caring.

***

She somehow found herself sat on the steps of the tower sometime later, knees up to her chest, gazing into nothingness. She had no idea how long she had been out there for, neither Riku nor Mickey had come out of the tower yet. After her loud crying had stifled and the tears stopped forming in her eyes, she just felt- numb. So she just sat there, alone with her thoughts. Her head hurt from all the crying as well.  She was still mad at Yen Sid for not properly guiding Sora in the ways of the Power of Waking, but in actuality, when she thought hard about it, she was really mad at herself. Mad at herself for being the weak link in the guardians. If she were stronger, if she hadn’t had been taken by Xemnas, maybe Sora would still be with them. Maybe that final act of bringing her back was one step too far for Sora. If he hadn’t have had to rescue her, would he be with her right now? It was a possibility, and she hated herself for it.

She stretched out her arm and summoned her keyblade to her hand. How could she call herself a keyblade wielder when she had let this happen to her best friend? She shouldn’t have even been bequeathed one in the first place. She supposed it was an accident from that day where Aqua had saved her back in Radiant Garden, she had placed her tiny hands on Aqua’s keyblade in fear as she hid behind her rescuer. She had no right to wield such a weapon. Anger forming in her heart once more, she flung the blade as far as she could, and it clattered on the soft grass several feet away from her. It didn’t stay on the ground for long however, for moments after it had landed, it gave a gleaming shine and reappeared back in Kairi’s hand. Perhaps it wanted to stay with her. She didn’t have the faintest idea why.

It was just then that Kairi heard the door slowly open and then close again as she sensed a figure standing behind her. The figure said nothing, just sat next to her on the steps. Riku.

She wasn’t sure what to say to him. She was beginning to feel ashamed of her outburst, she couldn’t go back in now, not after that. Riku appeared to be mulling over his own choice of words too, until he addressed her at last.

“You have every right to be angry, you know. I’m kind of angry too in a way. I wish the Master did tell us more about the Power of Waking, then again, maybe even he doesn’t know that much about it.” He paused for a moment, then gave a little smile. “I guess I just didn’t have the guts to confront him about it, unlike you.”

It was sweet that he was trying to cheer her up, though nothing that he said would make her feel better. She knew that deep within, this was all her fault. She’d redirected the anger on herself towards Yen Sid, and he was probably furious with her for speaking to him like that. She needed to tell Riku her thoughts.

“No. Even if the Master had told you about the dangers of the Power of Waking, Sora would have still used it in the wrong way to save me, because that’s just how Sora is. He’s selfless. It’s all my fault that he’s gone. Not the Master’s. It’s my fault because I was the weakest guardian and Xehanort knew that. He knew Sora wouldn’t fight him without a very good reason and therefore, he wouldn’t be able to forge the X-Blade. That’s why he singled me out, they all knew I was the least experienced and the easy target. If I wasn’t so weak, none of this would have happened. Sora would still be here because he wouldn’t have had to risk his life for me.” She felt the tears start to well up again and buried her face between her knees, ashamed to look at her friend in the eyes.

She heard Riku sigh. She dared to look up at him, she’d expected him to be angry at her, agree that this was her fault, but he didn’t.

“Kairi, this is not your fault. It’s Xehanort’s. He’s the reason for all of this after all. He didn’t single you out because you’re weak, he could have used any of us. I think he singled you out because you were a threat.”

_What? Did Riku even hear what he was saying?_

“You’re a princess of heart _and_ you’re a guardian of light. What better person to fight a legion of darkness than pure light? And a strong light at that. Xehanort also knew that you’re the closest person to Sora, that’s why he used you. And who says you’re weak? Didn’t you attempt to fight off four Seekers of Darkness all alone? It takes a strong heart to find that kind of courage. You’ve always underestimated yourself, Kai. Give yourself credit for what you _can_ do. The keyblade chose you for a reason. It wouldn’t choose you if it didn’t think you were capable.”

Kairi wiped her eyes. Somewhere deep inside her, there was a little flicker of light that had ignited from hearing him say that.

Riku continued, this time, looking more dismayed than determined.

“I should be the one apologising. I was never there for you. I was too caught up in my own mission and trying to do everything at once that I all but cast you aside. You’re my best friend. And I should have been looking out for you on the battleground, but I didn’t, and I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t say that. You had far more important things to worry about than me-”

“No.” Riku interrupted her. “I Should have been a better friend to you. Me and Sora were always going off doing our own thing, leaving you behind. That must have been so lonely for you. I’m just- I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you when I should have been.”

He looked so disheartened. Kairi shuffled along the step a little and gently placed her hand on top of his.

“It’s OK, Riku. I understand. I admit I did feel alone and left out, but you both had important tasks to attend to. Please don’t beat yourself up. Besides, what could I have done at that time? I wasn’t trained to use a keyblade yet.” She paused. “Ha. Not that I think I’ll have mine any longer. I bet Master Yen Sid will take it off me now...”

He moved his hand from hers and placed it on her shoulder. Though she had just been feeling like she didn’t deserve the keyblade, she couldn’t help Sora without it. She needed it, and the thought of it being taken from her made her feel a little sick. She wiped her eyes, her hand wet from the tears that had started again.

Riku gave her a gentle look, his hand still on her shoulder. He moved it to her far shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

“C’mere.” He said, wrapping his arm around her as she shuffled closer and rested her head against him. “He’s not going to take your keyblade.” He continued. “We’re all going to form a plan and we’re getting Sora back. Just you watch. Plus, I think he’d be too scared to take it from you anyway. You’re scary when you’re mad.” He laughed.

She moved a lock of wet hair out of her face and giggled. “Was I that scary?”

“Well, I’ve never heard you raise your voice like that before. I think it caught us all off guard!” He laughed again and Kairi smiled. Her? Scary? That was certainly a first.

Riku got to his feet and Kairi followed suit. She really didn’t want to go back in there…

As if reading her thoughts, Riku placed his hand on her shoulder again. He looked her in the eyes and told her straight, he was always so sincere about things.

“It’ll be OK. I’ll stick up for you if anything goes awry. Even masters need to be scolded sometimes, we don’t know everything.” He added with a wink.

Kairi nodded. Of course he would stick up for her. She’d do the same for him after all. She let him go first through the big door to the tower, following close behind and praying that Riku was right.

***

Riku lead the way back up the staircase and into the Master’s study, all the while, Kairi was silent, staring at the floor as she walked and trying not to imagine the worst possible scenario. When they entered the room, they saw Mickey and Yen Sid in deep conversation- a conversation that abruptly ended as soon as they caught sight of Riku and Kairi. Mickey gave them both a little nervous smile. The Master simply looked as stoic as ever, waiting for either one of them to speak. She wondered what that meant for her.

Riku gave her a gentle nudge with his elbow. _Go on, I’ve got your back._ He seemed to silently say.

She swallowed nervously. All eyes were on her. She didn’t exactly know what the punishment was for speaking in such a way to a Master, but she expected it would be bad. She recalled Terra telling her of when he and Eraqus had gotten into a huge fight about Ven, they’d nearly killed each other in the process, they were both so enraged. Her feet felt frozen to the floor, unspoken words stuck in her throat. Nervous didn’t even begin to cover what she felt inside.

_Come on, Kairi. Are you a keyblade wielder, or aren’t you?_

The voice of Chirithy rung in her head. They’d asked her that whenever she had hesitated in her training, afraid of messing up or doing something wrong. Those words had always helped her push past her fear and get on with the task at hand. Yes, she was a keyblade wielder. And as a keyblade wielder, she had to be brave and face the consequences of her actions. She took a deep breath and walked up towards the Master’s desk, taking the deepest bow she could muster, her lower back aching in the act.

“Master, please forgive my outburst. I- I was just angry and I wasn’t thinking straight.” Her voice quivered. What would he do?

Master Yen Sid held a hand up to her, asking her to be silent. His eyes bore into her. After what seemed like an eternity of him just staring at her, he finally spoke. Again, in that cool, calm voice but this time, she detected a hint of anger in it, which was somehow much worse than if he had raised his voice.

He held his hand out to her, palm up, as if expecting something from her.

“Your keyblade, Kairi.”

Her stomach sank.

_No._

No this couldn’t happen.

She heard Riku make some kind of strangled sound in his throat. “Master! She was angry, she didn’t mean it! Kairi- tell him the truth, tell him what you told me!” He pleaded with both Yen Sid and Kairi.

But it was no use. The Master was adamant.

Her shoulders sagged and she felt as if she was falling into an endless dark pit. She didn’t even cry this time. Again, the sheer numbness seized her as she stared in disbelief. She summoned the blade to her hand. And to think that she’d tried to throw it away earlier. How could she be so stupid? This was a part of her. Although her combat skills weren’t as refined as the others, this weapon in her hand made her feel strong. It had fought against the darkness and protected her friends in battle. This couldn’t be happening. And yet, there she was. Slowly, she proceeded to the Master and carefully placed her keyblade upon the desk. The numbness fading away as she did so.

Her shoulders shook. Her whole body shook.

She felt sick.

Now she’d really done it. What did she expect, raising her voice and screaming at a Master like that?

Mickey cast her a worried look. His eyes darting between her and the Master as he examined her keyblade carefully, inspecting every part to it, the swirls and whorls, the little dents and nooks, finally, her paopu charm keychain.

_He’s going to break it…_

The silence was the worst part. Who knew what he was thinking as he held the blade in his hands? The three wielders watched and waited, Kairi frozen to the spot. At last, he addressed her.

“You can tell a lot about a person by looking at their keyblade.” He began. “They reveal truths about their wielder’s character. For instance, your keychain is in the shape of a paopu fruit. The native fruit of the Destiny Islands, and a symbol of connections. I myself have never seen the true power of the fruit with my own eyes, but I believe that I can see it before me right now.” He gently placed her keyblade back on the desk and a great relief washed over Kairi like the waves clearing and smoothing the seashore. Her blade was still intact, and he didn’t appear to be as angry.

Master Yen Sid continued.

“Why do you suppose I summoned you here tonight, Kairi? It is because I believe that your strong connection to Sora may hold the key to bringing him back. All our connections to him in fact. But I believe that your heart will hold the key.” He looked at her not with anger, but with a sort of determination. He truly believed that Kairi was the key to rescuing Sora.

“You are forgiven for your outburst Kairi. In a way, you are correct. I did not explain the dangers of the Power of Waking to Sora and for that I cannot forgive myself. Although I do not think it would have made a difference in what would happen in the Keyblade Graveyard. He still would have used it dangerously to bring you all back. Though I believe we have you to thank for that.” He gave a nod at Kairi. “You held onto Sora so that he could return. It takes great strength of heart to accomplish something like that. Though I would advise you to control that temper of yours. It does not do well to lash out in anger at others. You certainly have fire. Perhaps you have been picking up some of Axel’s mannerisms as you trained together?” He gave a little chuckle to himself.

“No, she’s always been like that ever since we were kids.” Riku interjected.

“I was not!” She shot back. “Well- maybe a little.” She admitted. The other kids on the Islands had often called her ‘Fiery’ and not just because of her hair. She’d always had that fiery passion and energy.

The three of them all gave a laugh at her remark. And so, Yen Sid continued once again.

“I’ll admit, though losing your temper at your elders is not exactly a good thing, I was impressed that you had the courage to do it. Not many would dare raise their voice at an authority figure. Make no mistake though, do not do it again. I can admit the errors of my ways in sending you all into battle when you should have been more prepared, but we were truly desperate. I am deeply sorry. We were both in the wrong here.”

_Wow. He’d actually admitted he was wrong?_ Perhaps her outburst wasn’t for nothing then. He smiled at her and motioned for her to pick her keyblade back up. She rushed forwards in excitement and summoned the blade back to her hand, back to where it belonged. Both Mickey and Riku looked equally relieved for her.

“Thank you Master!” She took another deep bow. “I promise I won’t do that again; it was wrong of me. In reality, I’ve been angry at myself. It was really my fault that this happened. But Sora saved me and brought me back, so I’m going to bring him back home too.” She said with determination rising in her voice.

“It wasn’t your fault Kairi.” Said Mickey. “Me and Yen Sid both agree that Xehanort targeted you because of your close connection to Sora. But now, it’s that connection that is going to help bring him back! We’ve got a plan, but we need your help if it’s gonna be successful!”

She’d have been lying if she said she didn’t feel a little bit of pride swelling inside her at what Mickey had just said. To feel needed was such a lovely feeling to her, who had often been left to the side whilst the others went off and did all the important stuff. But still…

“Are you sure it should be me? Not Riku? I mean, Riku has known Sora for the longest and he’s more experienced than me…” She hesitated a little. Sure, she had an extremely close connection to Sora, but then again, so did Riku.

“No, it needs to be you.” Riku assured her. “I’m going to help, but you’re kind of the leader of this rescue mission. We’ve all agreed you have the best chance out of everyone. So, have a little faith in yourself for once would you? We all have faith in you.” That sincere smile again. How could she not doubt him? Doubt herself?

“OK.” She nodded and turned to face Yen Sid once more. “What is it that you need me to do?” Whatever they asked of her, she must be ready. If they all believed in her, she must believe in herself, for Sora’s sake if anything.

Master Yen Sid smiled at her, relieved that she had agreed to be the lead for Sora’s rescue.

“This plan is a risky one, Kairi, you must understand this. But, out of all of us, you have the best chance in succeeding. For it is not your physical strength that is needed, but your strength of heart. This will require a procedure similar to the power of waking. You must traverse through the hearts of the guardians until you reach Sora’s. I believe you will then reach the Final World, where it is most likely to be. It would be extremely dangerous for anyone else to attempt this task, but considering you have saved Sora in the Final World previously, as he has also done with you, it stands to reason that you will be able to reach Sora and bring him home. Your connection to Sora, to all of the guardians, your heart of pure light; these will be your keys to finding him. You must all travel back to the Keyblade Graveyard, where you were last with Sora. There, you will make the journey to locate him. The path will be a dangerous one, but your heart will guide the way for you. Do you accept this most important mission, Kairi?”

Indeed, it did seem extremely risky. But as she thought about it, they were right. She had already been to the Final World, helped Sora cling onto life, saved him with her belief that he would not fade. All she had to do was to do it again, only this time, she would have to physically travel there. She looked at the three of them in turn. But she wasn’t alone in this. She would have everyone else backing her up. They’d guide her to Sora and then, help guide them both back to the Realm of Light. She could do this.

“Of course. I promise I will bring Sora back to us. We’ll both come back home safely.”

The three looked absolutely thrilled that she had accepted the mission, particularly Riku. Though he appeared to be fine on the outside, Kairi could tell that on the inside, Riku’s heart yearned to see his best friend again so much that it hurt. She would not let him down.

“Good, good. I have the utmost faith in you, Kairi. In all of you. It would be wise of you to bring Chirithy along with you as you journey to the Final World. They will assist in reaching it and getting you into the world itself, but you will have to make your own way out.  Let your heart’s light guide him home, back to the Realm of Light where he belongs.” Yen Sid told her.

It wouldn’t just be her light that would guide him home, she realised, but Riku’s, Mickey’s, plus Donald and Goofy and Roxas and everyone else! It would guide them both back to the safety of their own precious Realm of Light.

“Sora’s going to have so many lights to guide him home, his path will be as bright as all the stars in the sky!” She proudly informed the others. Kairi had been his only light when he’d found his way back to the Kayblade Graveyard to join the others, but now, he’d have so many lights it’d be impossible to not get him back home.

Master Yen Sid gave a nod of approval. “Remember how far you have come in such a short space of time, Kairi. You ought to be proud of yourself. But for now, we must inform the rest of the guardians and have them all gather in the Keyblade Graveyard. From there, you will know what to do. Have faith in each other and follow the hearts to Sora.” He paused for a moment, letting his speech sink in. He had faith in her, and so did the rest of her friends, but more importantly, they also believed in Sora. It would be a dangerous path, but nothing would stand in her way to Sora. No matter what, she would face this head on, for she was a keyblade wielder, a guardian of light, and a princess of heart.

Before they departed to inform their friends of the plan, the Master had one final piece of advice for all of them. In a quieter voice than usual, Kairi, Riku and Mickey intently listened for what the master had to say.

“May your heart be your guiding key.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Wow this got ANGSTY AF all of a sudden didn't it? :D I said I was going to make Kairi more emotional.  
> -Look if Nomura isn't going to explain the Power of Waking then fuck it, neither am I. I'm just going off what YMX said to Sora about 'its traversing hearts to reach worlds'. Even thats probably a load of bull.  
> -Oh look! A parallel to when Sora was screaming at Xehanort saying why Kairi! How fun!  
> -RiKai friendships and hugs bc Nomura is a coward but I'm not  
> -Originally, I didn't even plan the part where Yen Sid looks as if he's going to take Kairi's keyblade. But then I wanted to go full angsty. Of course he wouldn't take it. It was more of a scare tactic and also a 'hey look at your charm its about connections HINT HINT'  
> -Yen Sid should have warned Sora ok. Even though Sora would have gone full self sacrifice mode anyway. He SHOULD HAVE AT LEAST TOLD HIM HOW TO USE THE POWER??? Jeez.  
> -Kairi's heading up the rescue mission to save her boyfriend and she's gonna kick some ass.   
> \- Now that Re:Mind is out, it's kinda gone waaaayyyy off canon now but I'm still sticking to my original plan: Make the ending happy so thats what imma do.


End file.
